Off The Bat
by Senie
Summary: "And how did I do?" The familiar smirk was back and Anna's stomach jumped just a little. "You played fine." "Oh come on, I know you had to have written down something for me!" His stupid face was too handsome for Anna to refuse. "I don't have any tips for you, just...observations I guess." "Like?" Kristanna College Baseball/Softball AU
1. Chapter 1

College Baseball/Softball AU  
Warning: physical abuse, language

* * *

Chapter 1

The relationship between the baseball team and the softball team varies widely from university to university. Anna had heard horror stories from old teammates about how the baseball players at their colleges absolutely hated the women's team and were constantly hiding their gear, vandalizing their field and torturing them on bus rides. But apparently that was not the case at Arendelle University.

Tiana, the second baseman had been dating one of the catchers, Naveen, for almost a year now. Rapunzel, Tiana's roommate and the center fielder for the team, was even engaged to Naveen's roommate (and best friend) Flynn Rider who was one of the starting pitchers for the men's team. And there was a smattering of other less serious relationships, hook ups and flings that always made their way through the two teams too, or so Rapunzel said.

"And it's only a matter of time until one of those boys falls head over cleats for _you_."

Anna just rolled her eyes and swung at the new ball her blonde teammate had replaced on the tee. It soared quickly to the back net at the end of the hitting cage. It was well past dark on a brisk Tuesday in late September. Courses had been in session for weeks now but fall ball was just beginning. With baseball and softball being spring sports, schools used the fall term as a warm up to the real season. With incoming freshman and junior college transfers, every fall is a new team and it takes time to mesh well together.

Anna and Rapunzel clicked right away though. It probably helped that Anna was the newest roommate at, (she still couldn't believe they called their house this) The Palace. Five softball players in total lived in the suburbs next to the campus in a house on Palace Drive. Rapunzel, Tiana, Merida, Moana and now Anna. Apparently, everyone referred to their house by the weird nickname. It was the central location for team meetings, study groups and parties. It had only been about 2 months since Anna transferred to Arendelle University from her junior college out west. But it had been a whirlwind. Arendelle U was a huge Division I school and a dominator in the North Mountain Conference. They were known for their sports, although the academics weren't bad either. Anna had done well for herself her two years at her junior college and had somehow caught the eye of the Arendelle scout. Before she knew it, she had her AA degree and a full ride offer to the school of her dreams. The campus was gigantic. It was like its own little town with everything you could ever need: grocery store, drug store, fast food places, sit down restaurants, three rec centers, a bowling alley, full gym and countless coffee shops.

Then there was the sports complex. Anna could drool just thinking about it. On the south side of the campus stood The Stables. Another nickname that Anna had to learn. The complex was actually named after some old coach from the 80s, but no one ever referred to it by its proper name anymore. The Stables housed the baseball field, softball field, each teams' clubhouse and practice facilities—where Anna and Rapunzel were now. The practice building consisted of two sides, one for the women and one for the men. The stupid thing even had a lobby _(a freaking lobby!)_ that separated the sides. It was essentially a huge warehouse with tall ceilings, exposed beams and bright lights. It was a necessity with Colorado's temperamental seasons. But everything else inside was the best money could buy. The university spared no expense; they never did when it came to sports.

"Just load the tee Blondie." Anna rolled her eyes at her teammate's comment.

Rapunzel laughed as she grabbed a bright ball from between her legs from the bucket she was sitting on. She placed it on the hitting tee for Anna as she commented again, "You should see the freshman in the dorms though, it's like a meat market with our girls and the boys. But you're in a unique position."

"Girl," Anna swung again, the ball hitting the same exact spot on the back net. "I'm not in _any_ position." Rapunzel was a hopeless romantic, and she was, of course, bias to romance blooming between the two teams.

"Are you finally going to tell me about your ex or what?" Anna's relationship status was one of the first things her teammate had asked her about when she had been moving into The Palace. Although Anna has been single for months when she came to Arendelle, the subject was not one she wanted to broach at the time. She continued to avoid it, but she was tired now and her resolve was thinning. Rapunzel placed another softball on the tee between them, but Anna just rested the end of her bat on her shoe, showing she was indeed ready to talk.

"Fine."

The light in Rapunzel's eye brightened at that, "Start at the beginning!"

Anna's stomach hurt at the thought of 'the beginning' because everything had started so easily. "I met Hans last year when we were both sophomores at our juco. He was very serious about the game. And for good reason. He was good. Great, actually. And the scouts already had their eyes on him from high school. He was the epitome of 'big man on campus' but surprisingly didn't get involved with anyone. He was only focused on making it to the league and didn't want some girl messing it up for him." Anna's eyes darkened at that last part, but Rapunzel stayed quiet.

"We had mutual friends and saw each other occasionally at house parties but had never actually talked. Until one late night bus trip when my seatmate wanted to switch with him to sit by her boyfriend. Everyone was half asleep anyways, so the coaches didn't know. I don't know, we just clicked, I guess. Most of our dates consisted of going to the hitting shed or taking extra ground balls after dinner, just casual but fun. But after that...It all happened pretty quick."

The memories flashed through Anna's mind painfully.

_Hans had a temper. And when it came to baseball it only got worse. __Both teams had made it to the playoffs, but they played on different weekends, so Anna was able to go and watch Hans play after her own games. __These games were obviously a big deal. Hans had already committed to playing for the University of Southern Isles in the fall, but this was his last chance to impress a major league scout and get drafted instead. __Hans was the starting 3rd baseman and the lead off hitter for the team. He was typically their best player but that game, something was off with him. He didn't get on base once and even made two errors in the field. It was not like him at all. And for that to happen in _this_ game, it was a big deal. __Anna knew it would be best to give him some time to cool off after the loss. But that night, when she went over to his apartment... _

"_What the fuck do you want?" _

_Anna was taken aback by his words. Yeah, she knew he could get mad but it had never been directed at _her_ before. __She stood in the entryway, embarrassed for having come over. The apartment was open concept, so she had a clear view of him sitting on his couch. _

"_I-uh...I just wanted to uh-" _

"_God just spit it out already! Shit!" Hans raked his hand down his face in annoyance. _

_Anna's courage returned as she entered further into the apartment, "Hey, I know that was a tough game but don't take it out on me." _

_Hans' eyes shot to her; anger clearly written across his face "Tough? Are you fucking kidding me?" _

"_There will be more opportunities. USI is a great school and they have players drafted every year." Anna tried to sound understanding. This was one of the biggest differences between their sports. Anna was just looking for a free ride to a good school to get a degree and job recommendations, but for Hans this _was_ his future career. _

_Anna's empathy was lost on Hans as his anger surfaced. He sprang up and was towering over Anna within 3 strides of his long legs. _"_You stupid bitch. This is all _your_ fault." His voice was like acid seeping down her back. But still she stood strong. __She was about eye level with his chin, so she took a step back to see him properly, "Excuse me?" _

_Before she could move farther away from him, Hans grabbed her right wrist, halting her. Instinctively, she yanked it back, but he was obviously much stronger than her and his grip only tightened. _"_You've just been a distraction from the very beginning. A stupid, slutty, _annoying_ distraction." _

_Again Anna fought against his grip, her own anger bubbling up now, "Fuck you, you fucking pric-" but the word died on her tongue as Hans pulled back his free hand in a closed fist. Pain burst across the left side of her face as stars spun behind her eyes. She knew she was on the ground now, but she couldn't focus. __As she groaned and tried to roll over, a new pressure was suddenly on her throat. It was like an iron ring was closing in on her. She no longer felt the hard laminate flooring beneath her as her feet barely touched the ground. _

"_Don't you ever just shut the fuck up? The sex almost wasn't even worth it with all the bullshit constantly spewing from your mouth." Anna's eyes cleared but her breathing was so constricted that she didn't know how long she could stay conscious. Clawing at his hands on her throat was doing nothing. As a last stitch effort, she flailed her right leg and managing to connect with his most sensitive area. __Instantly he released her, and she fell to the ground. But before she could make it to his front door, his hand was tangled in her loose hair, pulling her back. Another second passed and she was on the ground again. She didn't know how, but it felt like she had been stabbed in the side. Whimpering, she tried to move her hand and was met with the glass and wood of Hans', now shattered, coffee table. _

_Opening her eyes, there he was. Looming over her, pure fire in his eyes. _"_If you tell anyone about this and ruin my career, I will fucking kill you." _

And then her eyes refocused and Anna was back in the hitting cage with Rapunzel. "He went to a different university and we just didn't want to do the long-distance thing." Anna lied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders.

"And you haven't talked to him since then?"

"Nope." _Thank God._

"Do you miss him?"

"No." _'fucking way'_ Anna finished in her head.

"So, are you turned off of baseball players now? I do have some friends on the basketball team..." Rapunzel grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. Anna had only met Flynn a handful of times but clearly, he had been rubbing off on the girl.

"I just want to focus on school and the team Blondie. I've got my eyes on a ring but I'm not talking about engagement." Rapunzel just laughed, "Fine fine, but you let me know when you're ready because I've got a list of potential suitors for you."

Anna smiled at her new friend and took a final swing at the tee. "Did you want any reps?"

"Nah, I'm good. Let's just clean up and get out of here."

The girls were laughing about a particularly funny play from their practice scrimmage when they entered the facility's lobby.

"Hiya Blondie." They were greeted. Rapunzel turned to the familiar voice and squeaked with joy. Before Anna knew it, her teammate was in the arms of her fiancé Flynn.

"Red." Flynn nodded his head in Anna's direction. The nickname had annoyed her at first. It's not like her hair was as red as Merida's or even Ariel's but there was not point in fighting it now.

"Rider." She greeted with her own nod.

"I didn't know you were coming here?" Rapunzel, now safely on the ground, said.

"Yeah, Bjorgman wanted some cuts and I said I would throw to him."

"Oh, well..." Rapunzel drawled. Anna, realizing she should give them a few minutes alone, "I'll meet you at the car." And started towards the exit. Anna scanned her key card, checking out of the building when she was suddenly face to chest with a substantial blockage in the doorway.

"Oh, shit, excuse me." A smooth voice said as the blockage disappeared out of Anna's personal space.

She looked up to find a man now outside the building, holding the door open for her to exit. He was dressed in team-issued navy-blue sweats with a matching AU baseball cap.

'_He's tall.'_ That was the first thing Anna thought. _'Perfect build for a baseball player'_ was the second. Which was true. If she had to guess, this guy stood at at least 6'3 and had a solid body. Wide shoulders, narrow waist and legs thick with muscles.

"Like what you see?" Anna's eyes flashed up to his face now. So maybe she had stared a little bit _too_ long...

"I've seen better." Was her quick-witted response, unfazed, as she walked through the doorway. The arrogant smirk on the guy's face only widened. She could see some shaggy blonde hair sticking out from under his hat hanging in his hazel eyes. In all honestly, he was quite good looking. '_Understatement of the year.'_

"Watch out for her Bjorgman, she's a feisty one." Anna heard Flynn call as she walked down the path to her car and away from the handsome douche.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The fall season was flying by and, by the looks of it, Anna had won the spot for starting short stop for Arendelle's softball team. School wasn't as hard as she had thought it would be and she loved her housemates. It was shaping up to be a great junior year.

"What's going on at the boys' field?" Anna asked Rapunzel as they made their way down the steps into the dugout to take off their cleats and put away their gear from practice.

"Scrimmage against Weselton State. Flynn is supposed to start so I was going to head over to watch. Want to come?" It was a Friday evening and Anna didn't have much homework so why not. They made their way towards the stairs at the back of the dugout to head to their lockers in the team room.

Apparently they weren't the only ones heading to the scrimmage. Tiana was obviously joining them to watch Naveen catch but Anna was surprised by how many people were there to watch. Including some of their boy crazy freshman teammates. Anna loved good girl talk, but when it came to watching baseball she liked to focus on the game. So after all the girls settled in behind the home team's dugout, Anna made her way to an empty part of the stands a few rows back from her friends. Sliding her team issued backpack off her shoulders, Anna removed a small notebook and a pen from her bag. Luckily, they had arrived just before the line-ups and national anthem played. Anna only wrote down the jersey numbers of the starters of Weselton State with their position. But for Arendelle she wrote down the names along with their numbers and position. "Now for your Arendelle Aggies," the announcer paused for the crowd's cheering, "Leading off, in center field, number 14, Aladdin Ababwa. Batting second, at second base, number 20, Eric Sailor. Batting third, playing left field, number 3, Adam Evermore. Batting clean up, the short stop, number 27 Kristoff Bjorgman."

Although the announcer didn't deliberately pause this time, there was another eruption of cheers. Mostly from the young females in the crowd. Anna only rolled her eyes when some of her younger teammates were included in that group. Anna turned her eyes back to the field as the aforementioned player jogged from the dugout towards home plate. Just as his three teammates did before him, he bumped knuckles with the two umpires and made his way down the first base foul line. For each guy, the tall short stop shared some sort of quick handshake before standing next to Adam in line, waiting for the rest of the team to be announced. She recalled Flynn calling this guy Bjorgman the night at the hitting cage but now she knew his first name was Kristoff. After writing the rest of the line up down in her note book, Anna's eyes roamed over the field. She watched her university's team, outfitted in white, taking their warm up reps before the top of the inning.

The right fielder, Philip Hubert, had an interested curve to his ball. That could be bad with a play at the plate.

She could hear Aladdin's laugh from here as he was joking around with Adam in left field.

Shang Li, third base. He was fidgeting a lot between ground balls and kept glancing up into the stands behind him.

Eric at second looked comfortable, steps were a little choppy but he's shorter so he can make it work.

John Smith, first base. Big guy, too much eye black. Keeps readjusting his hair under his hat.

Kristoff Bjorgman, short stop.

Anna paused writing the notes on her paper to take a better look at the man in the middle infield. She did have to admit, he filled out the uniform well. He wore his crisp white uniform with the pants up, high cuffed. Which she preferred, she was old school that way. Kristoff moved well to the balls that John was throwing to him from first. He practiced his backhand, along with some flips to Eric at second. Every move was smooth and deliberate. And his arm was strong. He purposefully stood at the edge of the grass to air his arm out on the last throw before balls had to be rolled in and Naveen threw it down to second.

Anna jotted down what she saw and waited for Flynn to face the first batter from Weselton.

* * *

Flynn had ensured a boring first four innings. No one had gotten a hit, let alone even gotten on base. When Weselton _did_ make contact they only managed to hit ground balls in the infield. Nothing too exciting.

Arendelle was currently leading 5-0 and were up to bat now. No outs, Eric on third, Adam on first with Kristoff up to bat.

Anna's number one philosophy of hitting was simple—the first pitch is usually the best pitch. And watching Kristoff's first two at bats, he seemed like he agreed. Both at bats he swung at the first pitch which then resulted in a 2 run home run and a double off the wall. If the Weselton pitcher was smart he would definitely _not_ throw Kristoff a first pitch strike.

Wack.

What. An. Idiot.

The ball soared down the first baseline just grazing the white painted line on the grass. The right fielder had been pinching in towards center as that was where Kristoff hit his previous double. The ball rolled to the corner and rattled around, giving Kristoff just enough time to slide into third before the throw got to the base. Cheering erupted from the Arendelle dugout and fans as Kristoff popped up form his slide and asked for time from the base umpire. He then removed his helmet and shook out his sandy blonde hair, wiping his face on his sleeves. Giggles blossomed from her teammates, a few rows below Anna. She couldn't tell if she was annoyed with her obsessive friends or herself for also having a reaction to the boy on the field.

* * *

Two innings later and the score wasn't any better. Arendelle 11, Weselton 0. But Kristoff was up again and he was a single away from hitting for the cycle.

Weselton was on their fourth pitcher at this point and by the looks of him, he had to have been a true freshman. But, he did have a wicked curve ball and had just finished striking out Adam. Clearly the pitching staff had learned by now not to give up a meatball on the first pitch to the blonde short stop. The guy was nibbling though; none of his pitches were great, except the curve ball. But a good hitter could deal with one of those. Kristoff had already fouled four of them off.

On the next one, the freshman made a mistake and left it hanging a little too much. Lucky for him, Kristoff only chipped it into the outfield. There was his single.

Except, Anna looked on in confusion, he wasn't slowing down. Kristoff was going to second. He was surprisingly quick for his size and almost made it. But the throw was right on line and the Weselton's second baseman was waiting for him when he slid in. Anna watched him as he jogged back to the first base dugout, her gears turning the whole time. As he reached the foul territory and was nearly to the stairs, he glanced up at her. Not wanting to be caught staring at him for the second time, Anna focused back down at her notebook and wrote some more comments.

After the game had ended, Anna rejoined her teammates and friends.

"Great game huh?" Rapunzel asked.

"Flynn pitched great, how is his elbow feeling?" Anna asked.

Rapunzel bit her lip and looked to the sky, "He says it's fine but I still make him do his exercises and stretches twice a day. He was such a baby after the surgery I never want to hear him like that again!" Tiana and Anna laughed at the image.

"We're gonna head to the dining hall with the guys. They're always ravenous after game, you coming?" Tiana asked Anna as they started making their way down the bleachers. Anna thought it over for a second, "Nah, I've got a bunch of work I should get started on. I'll see you guys back at the house."

"Don't wait up!" Tiana called as they exited the stadium.

Anna only felt a twinge if guilt for lying to her friends. But the truth was it was a beautiful night and there was nothing better than an empty field under the lights all to yourself. When everyone had cleared out of the stadium and the crew had packed up the press box, Anna was truly alone. The huge lights, she knew, were on a timer so she had at least twenty minutes until she was in total darkness. That was more than enough time to just sit and think. Or lay and think, as she was, staring up at the darkening sky.

"Hey."

Anna's body jumped so bad she nearly fell off the bleachers. "Shit!" The curse involuntarily came out of her mouth. Regaining her balance, Anna stumbled up into a seated position, her hand clutching her frantic chest. "Holy shit dude! Ugh!" Anna couldn't even form a real sentence yet because her adrenaline was pumping so hard.

A laughing Kristoff Bjorgman was standing two rows down from her, freshly showered in jeans and an Arendelle Baseball pull over. "Sorry about that," Kristoff still had a grin on his face, obviously not that sorry.

"Uh- it's fine." Anna just stared at him, confused by this interaction.

"So..." Kristoff started.

Now it was Anna's turn to laugh, "Soooo?" She dragged out, teasing him.

"We haven't officially met yet, I'm Kristoff." Even though he was still two rows below her, he leaned up and stuck his hand out for her to shake it.

Anna chuckled and raised an eyebrow at the gesture, "Anna Agnarrsdottir." She had to brace her left hand on the back of the chair in front of her to reach his hand.

"So..." before Anna could taunt him again, he finished, "What were you writing?"

She was taken aback by the question, she hasn't expect him to ask her that. "Uh, I was, uh, just doing some homework."

"Has anyone ever told you you're a bad liar?" The smirk from the night at the hitting cage had returned.

Was he flirting with her? In reality, Anna had learned how to be a great liar. She could think on her toes quickly and always come up with something believable. Just like telling her friends she had homework when she just wanted to enjoy the quiet stadium. Was she losing her touch?

"Fine, so it wasn't homework." Not giving up any more details.

"Soooo?" Kristoff asked, mimicking Anna from earlier.

"Just some notes."

"About the game?"

"Yeah I guess."

"What do you mean 'you guess'?"

"Dude is this 20 questions?"

"I've got like 15 more questions if it is."

Anna couldn't help but laugh at that. Not wanting to drag this on any long, she gave in, "I just keep notes on the players during the games I watch. It just something I do."

"Yeah?" Kristoff asked, a skeptical look on his face. "Anything I should relay to my team?"

Anna paused for a moment, his hazel eyes never losing contact with hers. "Well you better hope that Shang asks that girl out soon or he's going to boot every ball that comes to him."

Kristoff chuckled, "He's been too nervous to even talk to her so we might be out of luck. Who else?"

Anna debated sharing her insights, "Isn't this weird? I don't want to come across like I'm ragging on your teammates."

"If you noticed that stuff with Shang you must have a good eye."

Anna rolled her eyes at his obvious form of flattery, "Fine, Hubert needs to aim about six feet to the right when throwing home or he's going to miss Naveen every time." Kristoff looked confused at her tip. "He snaps his wrist like a pitcher not an outfielder. I'm guessing he pitched a little in high school and hasn't refined his mechanics since."

"Oh shit. That's- you're- yeah, damn, ok." Anna stayed quiet as she let Kristoff mull over the information. When his eyes returned to her's, he had a handsome smile on. "And how did I do?" The familiar smirk was back and Anna's stomach jumped just a little.

"You played fine."

"Oh come on, I know you had to have written down something for me." His stupid face was too handsome for Anna to refuse.

"I don't have any tips for you, just...observations I guess."

"Like?"

"Like the fact that you crowd the plate while they call the pitches but at the last second you back off hoping they'll take the bait and throw you down the middle." A smile stayed on his face but his eyebrows knitted together in contemplation. "Or that you could have stopped at first on your last hit and had the cycle but you pushed it anyways. I think most people here thought you were stupid for that."

"Oh yeah, and what did _you_ think?" Kristoff's smile was gone, replaced with an intense look.

"That you know it's fall ball and hitting for the cycle against shitty Weasletown doesn't matter as much as pushing your limits to see what your body can do so you'll be ready when it actually matters."

"I- uh, hmm." Kristoff's was truly speechless. The guy who always had an under-the-breath remark was stunned by this new girl's insight.

Without warning, the lights above them all shut off and they were left in total darkness. Anna burst out laughing from shock. Kristoff soon joined her and the two were a strange sight indeed.

"Well I guess that's my cue." Anna said as she grabbed her backpack and walked down the stairs.

"Hey, uh" Kristoff said as he wanted to stop her, "So, can I have your number?"

Anna debated for a second, "Hmm, nah."

Seeing the shocked look on his face, even in the dark was so satisfying. Clearly he wasn't told no a lot.

"But we've got some mutual friends, let's see how bad you actually want it." And with that she continued out of the stadium towards the parking lot.

* * *

Before Anna even walked into her house, her phone buzzed from her sweatshirt pocket. Seeing a notification from a new number made Anna's stomach flip. Opening the iMessage, she watched as a gif of Usher dancing came across the screen with the words 'U got it u got it bad.' in the box.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Two days after her first real encounter with Kristoff Bjorgman, Anna received another text.

**What type of person doesn't have an instagram?**

_I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that you tried to look me up…_

**...**

Anna only responded with the eye roll emoji.

**And you have an iPhone so it's not like you're living in the Stone Age with a flip phone or something **

_I guess I didn't love the mandate and wanted to keep my personal life personal _

That was the truth, but only part of it. Arendelle Athletic Department prided itself on its athletes being strong ambassadors for the school and mandated each player make their current social media profiles public for fans and alumni to interact with. They also implemented pretty strict rules and even harsher punishments if they were broken. No pictures of drinking, drugs or revealing clothing, nothing that could be seen as inappropriate behavior with someone of the opposite gender, and no profanity.

Anna didn't actually care about the restrictions on what she could and could not post. She wanted the privacy. So Anna read the fine print and luckily found where it stated that any athlete _without_ social media did not have to create one. Without a second thought, Anna cleared all platforms of her existence. It was a small price to pay to insure as much protection from Hans as possible. She realized Hans could easily google her and her Arendelle Softball profile would be at the top of the page but social media was just...different. Her skinned crawled at the thought of Hans seeing current pictures of her, with her friends, living her life.

**Well I guess I can't argue with that...still strange to see in 2019 though**

**Even my GRANDPA has a page**

_You're looking a little desperate for pictures of me Bjorgman..._

**Ah shit **

**Now I look like a total creep**

**Shit **

The back-to-back messages made Anna laugh at the panic she knew Kristoff was feeling. After a few more minutes to let him torture himself, Anna sent a picture.

_When I DID have a page, this was the last picture I posted_

It was a picture of a grassy meadow, looking towards the North Mountain from the summer. Anna had done some solo backpacking around the area before courses had started. The incident with Hans had changed her far more than she would have liked. Anna had always been happy and bubbly, babbling through life and loving far too easily. She thoroughly enjoyed living and could find joy in everything. But his words still rung in her mind, making her second-guess herself.

Stupid.  
Slutty.  
Annoying.  
"Just shut the fuck up."

Anna's phone buzzed again.

**You took that?**

_Yeah_

**That's a serious hike to get to that meadow**

_It took a couple of days, but it was worth it. You've done it?_

**Once. Years ago. I've always wanted to go back but...**

"_Sorry I can't I have baseball"_

**Exactly**

**When did you do it?**

_Just this last summer, I had some time and I needed to get away_

**You went alone?**

_Yeah _

**Damn ok Cheryl Strayed**

_If you get the chance, doing something like that alone does wonders for the psyche_

**I bet. I'd love to but I just don't know when I'll have a free week to commit to something like that**

_Not even during the summer?_

**I'll be playing in the Cape Cod League again**

Anna knew what that meant. Literally hundreds of major league players started their careers playing in that league. To get invited was a pretty big deal and a huge step towards being drafted.

_Well the Appalachian Trail is just a few hours from there, if you get a day or two off_

**I'll keep that in mind**

**So you weren't impressed with the CCL then...?**

Anna laughed out loud at his second text and initially replied with a crying laughing emoji

_Was that just a test to see if I would swoon at your *amazing* baseball talent?_

**You can never be too careful these days...**

_Have you actually had girls interested in you ONLY because of your draft potential?_

**Every heard of WAGS?**

_...please enlighten me_

**It's the name for wives and girlfriends of professional athletes**

_Stop. What is it, like a club? Do they have monthly meetings? Newsletters?_

**Well some of them have their own reality show… **

_PLEASE tell me how you know that_

**...**

_Omg_

_Omg_

**It was the only thing on!**

_I can't _

This time she added a plethora of laughing emojis

_So after watching that you think all girls are after your signing bonus?_

**Well…These days I think the instagram fame is more appealing to some chicks**

_I wouldn't know…_

Anna added a smirking emoji for good measure.

**Ok touché**

**So maybe I don't have to worry about you **

Kristoff added his own smirking emoji

_If anything, this is making ME wearier of YOU Bjorgman_

**What? Why?**

Kristoff was nice. And funny. And obviously attractive. But so was Hans. And she saw what the stress of scouting and the draft did to him.

_I don't know if baseball players are my type. Seems like too much work. Maybe I'll look into the lacrosse team…_

**OH COME ON**

Laughing to herself, Anna held her phone, thumbs ready to type a witty response. But then her smile faltered. Even though she wanted to continue her lighthearted conversation with Kristoff, Anna held herself back, placing her phone face down on her bed.

It was easy to flirt with him, but she had more important things to focus on. She couldn't fawn over the first cute guy to show her interest.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Usually we have to drag you to the girls' games. What's up with you?" Naveen asked Kristoff as the men walked into The Stables.

"I'm just trying to be a good supporter of our women's programs." The short stop said defensively.

"He's trying to hook up with one of them isn't he?" Naveen turned to ask Flynn, ignoring Kristoff completely.

"I just haven't figured out who it is yet!" Flynn replies, knocking the side of his head in frustration.

* * *

"Ah crap." Rapunzel said, looking at her phone.

"What?"

"Flynn just texted that _Kristoff_ is coming with them."

"Damn it, already?" Tiana said with a sigh, checking her own phone.

Confused, Anna asked, "What's the problem?"

"Unless the teams are on a road trip together, Kristoff doesn't come to our games. Which means he's trying to bag someone on the team."

Anna's stomach dropped. Kristoff had been openly flirty with her since he got her number last week, which was fine. She enjoyed talking to him about nonsense and even flirted back a little. Was she sending the wrong message?

Stupid.

Annoying.

_Slutty. _

"Don't get me wrong, I love Kris, he's in our wedding! But he's just never been..._serious_ about anyone. And if he's trying to distract one of our girls this season, I'll kill him!" The threat seemed pretty empty coming from sweet, little Rapunzel.

"I'm sure the team will be fine." Anna said in finality as she stood from the bench in her equipment closet and started towards the exit. She could leave Rapunzel and Tiana to gossip about that stuff, she had a game to get ready for. Anna wasn't even positive that _she_ was the one Kristoff was potentially trying to "bag". Anna didn't know him, pretty much, at all so she shouldn't flatter herself.

* * *

The women's softball stadium was not nearly as big at the men's, but it was still impressive. It was uncharacteristically warm for early October so Flynn, Naveen and Kristoff were all dress similarly in jeans and some type of Arendelle gear. Kristoff adjusted his navy team hat as they walked through the columns of the stadium, leading to the stands. The game had already started so they quickly found their way to the very top of the stands directly behind home plate. Looking around the stadium, a decent crowd had turned out. Some players' families, groups of students sun bathing and even a little league softball teams with their coaches. Cheering from the visiting team dugout focused the guys' attention back to the field. Arendelle was in the field and the player up to bat had hit a blooper in the air towards center field. Rapunzel was fast but there was no way she would make it there before the ball hit the ground.

But Anna didn't give up. She tucked her glove and sprinted back, leaping at the last second, her white jersey sliding across the grass.

Out.

It was an impressive play. Kristoff was stunned by it before Flynn and Naveen started cheering loudly for the girl.

"Nice play Red!"

"Woo! Great catch!"

The players in the Arendelle dugout were going wild and cheered the Sports Center theme, "Duh nuh nuh! Duh nuh nuh!" The short stop quickly righted herself and threw the ball back to Merida in the pitcher's circle. Before returning to her position, Kristoff watched as Rapunzel and Anna exchanges some words. They slapped gloves, then throwing hands and Anna jogged back to the dirt. The pretty smile on her face was quickly replaced by a seriously look as Merida prepared to face another batter. She was fluid, he had to say. The rhythm of her steps were perfectly in tune with Merida's pitching and the batter's swing.

The next batter hit one in the gap past Tiana to put a runner on first base. Kristoff noticed Anna move closer to second base to exchange words with her teammate before returning to her spot for the next hitter. A few pitches later and the ball was soaring in Anna's direction again. It was a tough ball. Hard hit, on the ground and pretty close to third base. For the second time that inning, Anna was on the ground. Diving to stop the ball from rolling to the outfield, Anna popped up to her knees to throw to Tiana who met the catch at second base. Tiana then shot back off the bag and fired the ball to Aurora at first. Bang bang. All in less than 4 seconds. Still on her knees, Anna yelled out in excitement, pumping her arms in the air. With that being three outs, she sprung up and ran to meet her teammates grouping together outside of their dugout. High fives were shared all around and the victorious smile returned to Anna's face, lighting it up beautifully.

"Shit, Anna is good! She was a solid pick up this year." Flynn commented while clapping for the team.

"I'm gonna marry that girl." The words mumbled out of Kristoff's mouth before he could sensor them. His gaze was transfixed on Anna laughing with Tiana before they disappeared down the stairs into their dugout.

Flynn's and Naveen's head whipped to their friend. "I'm sorry, what?" Naveen practically yelled.

The spell seemed to have been broken as Kristoff turned back to his seatmates, confused. "What?"

"What the fuck did you say man?" Flynn gave him a look of pure shock.

"Huh? What? What did I say? The blonde man seemed genuinely baffled.

"You said-" Naveen started but was quickly cut off by Flynn's elbow in his side.

"Nothing! You didn't say anything. It must have been that guy to your left. Never mind!" Flynn elbowed Naveen in the side again and gave him a look that Kristoff missed as he had already turned back to the game.

"Whatever asshats. Who's up?"

* * *

The rest of the game was pretty entertaining. It was a close contest between the two teams but Arendelle squeaked by with a W in the end. And just like after every game, Naveen and Flynn waited near the girls' teamroom for their significant others. But _unlike_ after each game, Kristoff was now joining them. Before Naveen and Flynn could comment (although they did share another significant look between them), Rapunzel, Tiana and Anna emerged from the exit door of their teamroom. Tiana was talking in a hushed voice when all of the sudden the other two burst out laughing as some unknown joke.

"Ladies," Flynn started, "Stupendous game." He high-fived both Tiana and Anna before wrapping his arm around Rapunzel's neck and pulling her into his body.

"Tiana will always have my heart, but Anna you were the player of the game today." Tiana elbowed her boyfriend before laughing. Naveen hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek, "My love, you are still _my_ favorite player do not fret."

"Thanks, I'll see you girls at home!" Anna started walking away from the group.

"Hey..." Kristoff called as he walked after her.

"Hey." Anna replied, looking back but not stopping.

"That _was_ a great game."

"Yeah Merida pitched us out of a few jams there, huh?" Anna hiked her backpack up a little higher, fidgeting with the pull straps.

"Yeah sure, but I was talking about you."

"Oh." She pulled on one of her auburn braids; she wasn't great at taking compliments.

"You're a solid shortstop."

"Oh, well thanks." All the words coming from her mouth sounded so stupid. She could feel her diaphragm tighten in embarrassment.

"Sorry I don't have any more specific notes for you." Kristoff joked. Relaxing only slightly, Anna laughed.

"Oh shut up." Rolling her eyes, she looked up at him from her left side.

"You had the girls worried today." Anna nodded her head back in the direction of Rapunzel and Tiana.

Genuinely confused, Kristoff tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

"Apparently," Anna drawled, "you don't come to games often, but when you _do_ you can be a..._distraction_ to some of our players." Light danced in her bright blue eyes, she was teasing him.

Seriousness clouding his features, "Were _you_ distracted?"

"Did I _look_ distracted?" She quirked her brows, a smirk playing on her lips.

"No, you looked good." His hazel eyes darkened and fire shot down the nerves at the back of her legs. She was glad he spoke again because her tongue stopped working, "Can I take you out?"

"I-" thinking back to what Rapunzel said before the game, "I don't think that would be a good idea." Anna looked down at her navy and gray trainers. She didn't know when they had stopped walking.

"Can I ask why not?"

_I'm damaged goods.  
__You're too good looking for me to think rationally.  
__You'll just get annoyed with me anyways._

All the potential responses swirled around her head before she settled on, "I'm not sure I'm what you're looking for."

"And what do you think I'm looking for?"

"I- Look, I don't know you but people talk and..." she left the words hanging, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"And the girls told you I'm just trying to get laid." Anna physically cringed at his words. This was not the talk she planned on having tonight, or ever for that matter. "Listen, I know what people say about me and it's never bothered me, well, until now. I don't want to sit here and defend myself but just know that there are two sides to every story."

"And why is it bothering you _now_?"

"Because I don't want you to think that's the type of guy I am."

"Then what _should_ I think Bjorgman?"

"That I like you. And I want to get to know you, properly. No funny business. Well I mean unless you want a little funny bus- right, right no funny business." He quickly sidestepped his words at the look he gave her. Anna gave him a snort. When she looked up at him, he was mesmerized by her in the late afternoon light. Freckles peppered her nose and cheeks from the countless hours in the sun and her large blue eyes popped from the contrast of her auburn hair.

"Like what you see?" Hearing Anna use his own phrase from the first time he saw her was ironic. He had thought she was beautiful then too.

Courageously taking a step closer to her, Kristoff said, "Absolutely."

The air between them was thick with tension. He was doing something wild to her. Being around him made her float between insecure schoolgirl and feisty she-wolf. It was exhilarating but she could do without all the stomach flops. A slight movement had Anna looking down to Kristoff's lips. He had subconsciously wet his bottom lip with his tongue. Except, by the smirk that now sat there, she was wondering if he _had_ done it on purpose.

"I'm not going to kiss you, you fool."

"You were thinking about it though."

"You'll have to work a little harder than that."

"I'm no stranger to hard work."

The innuendo in his words made her face heat, "Just shut up and buy me dinner." She turned to continue walking towards the parking lot.

"It's a date." The smile clear in his voice.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The volume of The Palace had been steadily increasing over the last 30 minutes.

The night had started as an impromptu celebration of the end of the fall season. Tiana had announced the "little get together" on the bus ride back home after their last game earlier that day. It was their first party of the year, so Anna was unsure what to expect. But this was not it. College kids were scattered throughout the bottom story of the house, huddled together in the kitchen, on the numerous couches in the living room and in the garage around the ping pong table. Although Anna had thought this would be a girls' night, she was not surprised to see some familiar faces from the baseball team. But none of the usual suspects had arrived yet. No Flynn, no Naveen and no...

She tried to push the thought of Kristoff out of her mind. She didn't even know if he was planning on showing up. She hadn't invited him. Should she have invited him? Their "date" had been two weeks ago, and Anna had been playing it casual since then. The dinner itself had been easy. They just went to the local burger place and chatted about simple stuff: what they were majoring in, how they like their team, what did they do for fun (was there anytime for fun outside of their sports?). Anna had enjoyed herself. Correction: she had enjoyed _Kristoff_. He was funny and it was nice to have someone seem interested in her. The way he flirted with her was flattering. They had texted more since then but had not seen each other in person. Between morning work outs, classes, practices and homework there hadn't been any downtime to socialize. But now that the fall season was over, Anna could catch her breath.

"Anna, come take a shot with us!" Tiana called to her from the kitchen. From her location at the bottom of the staircase, Anna had a straight view to her housemates around the kitchen island.

Anna had lived here for months now and still hadn't told her roommates that she didn't actually drink. Considering this was the first party of the school year, it's not like it came up very often. Still it was embarrassing. Well, maybe embarrassing wasn't the right word. Its not like she was afraid of the cops catching her since she was only 20. She was just very conscious about the effects of alcohol and the scientific research behind what it did to your body and brain. None of it appealed to her. But she didn't want to be a party pooper. Or the pretentious asshole trying to educate everyone about the dangers of alcohol. They were all adults…kind of…and they could make their own decisions.

But now Anna was thrown into a real situation of drinking in a group.

"Ok, but I'm going to need a chaser!" Anna laughed as she joined Tiana, Rapunzel, Moana and Merida around their granite countertop. Merida threw Anna a can of Coke as Tiana started pouring tequila into five shot glasses. Anna opened the can and drained half of it in a few gulps. She tried not to grimace at the taste, she hated Coke.

"To a great fall season!" Tiana raised her shot glass in the air.

"And to an even better off season!" Moana added and the rest of the girls laughed, throwing their heads back and emptying their glasses.

Anna did the same, only when she drank the soda for her "chaser", she slyly spit the tequila back into the can without anyone noticing. Don't let anyone tell you Coyote Ugly was not an educational movie.

"Another?" Tiana raised the bottle as she looked around. Before the rest of the girls could answer, there was a loud holler coming from the living room.

"Finally!" Rapunzel signed in mock annoyance.

Anna turned to follow her gaze at the front door. Walking into the Palace was Flynn and Naveen. The holler was apparently the typically male greeting for the baseball team. Anna's eyes shifted from Flynn and Naveen. Yes, obviously they would show up together. They're best friends, roommates and the best battery the men's team has so this was not surprising. But Anna also kind of hoped a third man would be accompanying them when they arrived…

"I thought Bjorgman was riding with you guys?" Aladdin called from one of the couches in the living room across the entryway.

"Al, I know you only care where I am because I've got the beer." Kristoff called as he walked through the threshold carrying a large case of beer on each of his shoulders.

"Speak of the devil and he doth appear!" Aladdin called back as he popped up from his reclined position with a huge grin on his face.

Anna didn't want to stare but before she could look away and pretend like she didn't see him, Kristoff's stupid hazel eyes found hers. And now the smile on his face is so damn good looking she can't tear her eyes away from it. Kristoff quickly transferred the cases to Aladdin, who gladly took them, without breaking eye contact with Anna. As soon as his hands were empty, he made a bee line for her.

Anna's mind flew into overdrive. _Shit, he's coming over here. How do I greet him? Do we hug? Is that too weird? High five? Oh my god, wow I have no idea what I'm doing, cool._

"Hey." It was so simple but the smile on Kristoff's face said a lot more.

"You made it."

"Yeah, but strangest thing that I heard about this little get together from Naveen and not one of the hostesses." His eyebrows rose as he gave her a pseudo accusatory look.

"Hey hey hey, I had no idea Tiana was planning this thing, I just live here."

"It's fine, I forgive you." Kristoff raised his hand for a high five, but when Anna went to give him one, he instead pulled her hand towards him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder in a fluid movement.

"Smooooth." Anna laughed but didn't pull away as he turned them back towards the kitchen. She felt kind of nice tucked perfectly into Kristoff. What the fuck was she saying, _kind of?_ She was kidding herself.

"How was your Biomechanics test?" Kristoff dropped his arm from around Anna, but not before she felt it brush past her shoulders and down her back a little. The sensation sending pinpricks down the backs of her legs.

"Eh," She shrugged trying to regain her brain function, "I got an 87."

"Why do you sound disappointed?" Kristoff turned to face her, leaning a hip against the counter. Her roommates were nowhere to be found now, so the kitchen was empty.

"Because when I looked over the test he handed back, I missed the dumbest questions. I should have known them." Anna was embarrassed talking about a test she should have aced.

"Still. An 87 is nothing to sneeze at." Anna wasn't looking at him now, and Kristoff furrowed his brow.

"Did you finish your accounting project?" she quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah yeah, just barely. I won't miss that class when the semester is over."

"We all have one of those courses in our major. Did you know I had to take Sports Law?" Anna walked to the cabinet to retrieve one of her reusable Starbucks tumblers.

"I didn't even know that was a thing." Kristoff turned, watching her movements.

Anna retold a story about a particular court case she had studied regarding a baseball field without a warning track and the chain link fencing installed upside down. As she talked, Kristoff watched her fill her clear tumbler with ice and a can of sparkling water. She then cut a lime and added a slice before stirring it in.

"…but yeah, the class discussions were really interesting, but all the lawyer jargon was a snooze fest."

"So, are you going to represent me when I get signed then?" Anna's eyes drifted to his crossed arms and the tightness his biceps caused in his t-shirt sleeves.

Anna laughed, "You're not worried I would take all your money and buy a G Wagon or something?" raising her brows at him.

Anna didn't miss the intense flicker that past through Kristoff's eyes, "I would buy you a boat if you asked me too."

Her smirk faltered for a moment as his seriousness, "Oh shut up." She shoved his shoulder as she walked back to rejoin their friends.

The night progressed as any typical college house party usually does; friendly chitchat, loud laughter and drinking games. They had just finished a rousing game of King's Cup and everyone was talking amongst themselves around the kitchen table. Thankfully, Anna had not drawn the fourth and final King, so she didn't have to worry about drinking the nasty concoction in the center cup. The party looked to be moving into the "chill out" portion as some people split off to the garage, some to the living room and some to the kitchen counter. Anna was tired but she knew it would be hard to fall asleep with people still lingering about. Just then, she felt her phone vibrate.

**Want to go for a walk?**

She tried not to smile to herself because he was sitting directly across from her at the table. Without typing a reply, Anna looked up to Kristoff's awaiting gaze. He quirked his eyebrow and smirked back at her. She inclined her head slightly to signify a yes. Rapunzel and just gotten up so that left Flynn and Aladdin being the only ones still sitting at the dining table with them. And they were enthralled in some serious MLB-related conversation. Kristoff nudged his head to the door, signaling Anna to go first. Anna casually stood from the table and made her way upstairs. It didn't look suspicious as she _did_ live there, but she wanted to grab a jacket since the fall nights were brisk here. As she came back downstairs, she did so slowly. Anna didn't draw anyone's attention towards her, so she continued quietly out the front door. She wasn't ashamed of going for a walk with Kristoff, but she did not want to deal with the teasing and questioning she was guaranteed to get if her teammates knew.

She exited the house as quietly as she could. When she shut the door behind her, she was met with the Kristoff's back. She didn't have much time to admire his physique as he turned around to face her. A wide grin spread across his face as he saw Anna.

"Aren't you cold?" Anna asked him, noticing he was only wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

"Nah, I run hot." Kristoff winked at her, emphasizing his double entendre. Anna rolled her eyes, but laughed, nonetheless.

They fell into a nice pace as they walked down the suburban sidewalk. The night was cool, but there was no breeze so Anna was comfortable in her sweatshirt. Anna listened to the nightly sounds of the neighborhood, content in just walking next to Kristoff.

"So is there a reason you aren't telling people you don't drink?" His gruff voice cut through the night and surprised Anna. She hadn't expected to hear that. Hell, she hadn't expected him to _notice_.

"What are you talking about?" Apparently her brain thought that acting dumb was the best way to play this.

"Well, you made your seltzer look like it was a vodka soda and used it during all the games…" Before Anna could defend herself, Kristoff added, "And then you pretended to take the shot when we played Quarters."

Well…she _did_ do both of those things. It's not like this was a huge secret or anything. And it would be nice for someone else to know about her preferences.

"Wow, you've got a good eye." Anna nudged him with her shoulder but didn't turn to look at him. "I don't know, I was just kind of embarrassed about it. I don't want to make anyone feel bad about their choices and I don't want anyone to try and convince me to change mine. So I guess it's just been easier to…fake it."

"Well if you don't want it to be a _thing_, your secret is safe with me." Kristoff said.

"I'm sure I'll tell the girls eventually, I'm still just the new girl so…ya know." Anna shrugged, voicing an insecurity she didn't really know she had.

"_Just_ the new girl? I don't think you're _'just'_ anything." Kristoff scoffed. His voice was so casual but the words hit Anna in a way that she was thankful that the darkness covered her blush.

"When are you going to let me take you out again?" This time, Kristoff turned to face Anna.

"Well it turns out my schedule just opened up." Anna was still feeling a little coy, so she kept her eyes lowered.

"Tomorrow." It wasn't a question.

"You're in a hurry aren't you?" Anna teased him. Teasing she could do.

"I don't know," Kristoff slowed his feet to a stop and rubbed the back of his neck, "I haven't seen you in a while."

Anna took a few more steps before she stopped and turned back to him, "Kristoff Bjorgman have you _missed_ me?" the teasing tone still in her voice.

Kristoff's timid body language was instantly replaced with a sly smile, "I just prefer seeing you in person rather than through messages on a screen."

"And why is that?" Anna urged, looking up into his shadowed face.

"The sound of your laugh is nice…And you have a cute nose. And I like the way your mouth looks when you talk." Kristoff's eyes darkened to molten lava as he subconsciously stepped closer to her. Anna's stomach flipped and her face heated again. Unable to think of anything to say, she bit her lip in embarrassment.

Kristoff's eyes followed the movement down to her mouth and then flashed back up, "Don't do that. I like _that_ too much." The heat from Anna's face spread down her neck and to her chest. Its like his eyes were seeing right through her—through her facades and lies, and melting her to her spot. She didn't know how they got so close but Anna definitely didn't have to worry about the fall chill anymore. She couldn't tell if the heat was radiating off of Kristoff, herself or a combination of the two but all of the sudden her body was on fire. Just then, Kristoff brought up his right hand to sweep some of Anna's hair behind her shoulder. As he pushed it back, his hand lingered and then went to the back of her neck. Anna's skin buzzed with anticipation and in that moment she couldn't take her eyes off of Kristoff as his head dipped down. She could feel the pressure of Kristoff's hand pulling her to him, but she was going willingly. He was so close now. Impatiently, Anna grabbed the front of Kristoff's t-shirt and closed the gap between them. Warmth blossomed down Anna's back at the sensation of Kristoff's lips on hers. She melted into his body as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. The kiss was firm as their lips moved rhythmically together.

Kristoff pulled away much sooner than Anna would have liked. And in a breathless whisper said, "I was really trying to wait to do that until tomorrow."

"Waiting is overrated," was Anna's only response as she pulled him back down to her and eagerly continued their heated exchange.


	6. Chapter 6

I had the outline for this chapter done so long ago but I couldn't bring myself to write it. I kind of just threw it all together. Hopefully it flows well..enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6

When Kristoff pulled up to The Palace, Anna was standing on her driveway waiting. Before he could even put his truck in park she was opening the passenger side door.

"You make it awfully hard for a guy to be a gentleman around here."

"Tiana and Rapunzel were downstairs doing their homework and I just—"

In mock offense Kristoff said, "Anna Agnarrsdottir, are you _embarrassed_ to be seen with me?"

Anna covered her face with her hands, "No! I just really don't want to deal with the third degree from them." Looking up at him, under the dim street lighting Anna asked, "Can't I just keep you to myself for a little bit?" Kristoff had never seen a more beautiful woman than Anna in that very moment. All teasing was forgotten as her big, clear eyes looked into his. He wanted this memory imprinted on his mind.

"Anna, you can keep me to yourself for as long as you want." The seriousness in Kristoff's expression heated Anna's face instantly. She was thankful the lighting was dark. Their kiss from the night before was still fresh in Anna's mind and she had been anxious to do it again. His truck had a folding center console separating the front seats. Swiftly, Anna lifted the handle making the entire seat into a bench and slid closer to him. Reading her movement, Kristoff unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to meet her. His large hands went to the sides of her jaw while his lips found hers. Anna's diaphragm tightened at the fierce contact. Needing something to hold onto, Anna gripped Kristoff's wrists, urging him not to stop.

But eventually, they did have to break apart. By this time, Kristoff's windows were completely fogged up and the pair were visibly out of breath. With their foreheads still together, Kristoff managed, "Hungry?"

"Ravenous." Anna breathed out.

Placing one more firm kiss on her lips, Kristoff turned on the defroster and started driving towards the restaurant.

* * *

"So," Kristoff started.

"Soooo?" Anna laughed.

They were sitting in a cute little diner not far from campus. It was small but smelled amazing.

"So tell me about your family."

Anna's face quickly lost all humor as her eyes unfocused. They stared at a spot on the wall just to the left of Kristoff's face. "My parents were the best, my biggest fans. They supported me in anything I wanted to do and when I decided to specialize in softball they did everything they could to help me be successful; driving hours to big tournaments, practicing with me in the backyard, cheering so loud at games. It use to make me so embarrassed…" A sad smile ghosted over Anna's lips. It was not lost on Kristoff that Anna was speaking of her parent's in the past tense. "I wish they could have seen me in my Arendelle uniform." Anna focused her eyes back on Kristoff. She was surprised to see a serious look on his face but not an ounce of pity. "They were in a car accident my senior year of high school."

"They would have been proud of where you are today."

"Thank you, I know." Anna sighed and pushed some hair behind her ear. Her smile returned, but Kristoff could still see the emotions behind her eyes. "Tell me about _your_ family."

"Oh gosh, where do I even start?" Kristoff feigned exasperation but Anna could see the humor in his face. "Well there's my parents, Bulda and Cliff. And Grand Pabbie and uncle Brock and uncle Gothi and their wives and then aaaall the cousins." He trailed off, silently counting on his fingers. Anna assumed he was trying to account for his large family.

"So I take it you weren't very lonely growing up?" Anna laughed, thankful to change the focus of the conversation.

Kristoff's cheeks heated a bit but his confidence never wavered, "Well it didn't start out so great. Cliff and Bulda were actually my foster parents back when I was about six. Before them…" he trailed off and Anna stayed silent. "Well, once they brought me home, everything changed. And within a year they asked if I wanted to join their family permanently. They couldn't have any kids of their own. They always say they needed me as much as I needed them."

"Well they sound wonderful." Anna smiled at Kristoff, slightly jealous of the beam in his eye discussing his family back home. "And they're still back in…" Anna realized she had no idea where Kristoff was from.

"Living Rock, Montana."

"Big Sky country." Anna said dreamily.

"Ever been?"

"Its on my list of places to see. Thought I could make my way north through the Tetons then Yellowstone and end at Glacier National Park."

Kristoff dramatically grabbed his chest, "Be still my heart!"

Anna just rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the smile from her lips, "Oh stop."

"But that sounds like a serious trip. You were thinking this summer?"

Anna shrugged and looked away, "Maybe. Haven't given it much thought. We'll see what happens."

"Well Living Rock is just north of Yellowstone if you ever want to stop by and pay us a visit."

The waitress came by, delivered their drinks and took their dinner orders.

"I don't think you've told me about your hometown or junior college." Kristoff continued.

"I'm from this town called Ahtohallan in southern California. Lived there all my life and then went to the community college in the next town over. I had an offer to go play in Oregon out of high school but after my parent's died it didn't feel right to leave right away. But there's not much to tell about the school itself. I spent 2 years there, got recruited now I'm at Arendelle." Anna shrugged her shoulders.

"Well did you like it? Do you keep in touch with anybody anymore?"

She's sure she had enjoyed times at her junior college but every time she thought back to those days her entire 2 years were clouded by that one night. And that made her mad. Hans took away two years of good memories in 5 minutes. She was sure, one day it wouldn't hurt as much—the memories, the scars, the nightmares—but today was not that day.

"I mean, it was fine. Just your run of the mill community college. Most of my teammates were girls who also grew up in the area. But no, I don't keep in touch with anyone really. One of the only downsides of not having an instagram."

"Did you date anyone while you were there?"

"Wow, I already talked about my dead parents, now we're moving onto exes. You have no fear Bjorgman." Anna meant it as a joke but a strange sensation was filtering its way through her wrists. That terrible feeling like they were made of sand, like they had fallen asleep or something. She debated lying for a moment, but it would be easy enough for Kristoff to find out the truth from Rapunzel or Tiana and she didn't want to start off, whatever this was, on a lie.

"Yeah just one guy, nothing serious though."

"Was he an athlete?" Kristoff asked.

"Hmhmm," Anna affirmed, looking down stirring her drink.

Kristoff furrowed his brow at her response. "What sport did he play?" he pushed.

"Baseball." Anna replied, still not looking up.

"Ah, see, I thought you said baseball players weren't your type?" Kristoff tried to joke though he felt a slight tension.

"Yeah well sometimes one bad apple can spoil the bunch." Anna murmured but Kristoff still caught it.

There was a pregnant pause between them.

"Colorado must be a big change for you." Kristoff diverted and Anna was thankful.

"I guess, but this isn't my first time here. We use to come here each summer in high school for a big recruiting tournament. I loved it and always wanted to move here. Fate is funny like that."

The rest of their time at the diner was spent talking in depth about anything and everything. Thankfully, they had already covered the touchy subjects earlier on and the rest of the night was filled with insight and laughter. In Anna's opinion there was nothing more attractive than a guy that could make you laugh. After milkshakes and more talking, the diner looked to be nearing closing time. Looking down at her phone Anna noticed it was almost 11:00pm and they had been out for hours already.

As they walked out of the restaurant, Kristoff slows to a stop, "Hey."

Anna looked back and then turned to him with a confused look, "Hey."

"I like you Anna." Kristoff's serious face had returned.

Anna quirked her eyebrow and smiled, "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to be up front about it. No funny business remember?"

"Right."

"So in the honor of being up front…" Kristoff trailed off.

"Yeah…?" Anna looked worried.

"Well, I don't want to sound presumptuous by asking if you want to come back to my place so…want to park somewhere and make out for a while?"

"You really know how to sweet talk a lady Bjorgman." Anna grinned and grabbed his hand, dragging him the rest of the way to his truck.

* * *

It wasn't until well past 2:00am when Anna's head finally hit her pillow. Her lips were swollen but in the most delicious way possible and she had a perma-grin on her face.

And that's when the thoughts came. That dark place in the back of her mind, that had been silent all night, pushed its way to the front now, in the solitude of her room.

_You shouldn't have said that._

_That was so stupid._

_You're so annoying._

_He's going to think you're a slut._

That achy feeling in her wrists returned as her grin faded.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Yes I know its short -_-

* * *

Chapter 7

It was now early November and Thanksgiving break was fast approaching. Anna and Kristoff continued to hang out, date, make out, all of that. But there had been no explicit conversation using the words boyfriend or exclusive. It had only been a couple of weeks and Anna wanted to take everything slow. But Kristoff continued to be open and honest with Anna and it was no secret that he was infatuated with her.

"Ok missy, spill it!"

Anna's entire body jumped as Rapunzel suddenly burst into her room. Not far behind her was Tiana sporting an apologetic look.

"Hey guys...?" Anna said cautiously.

"Don't play that goodie-two-shoes act with us _missy_. We know something is going on."

Missy? Was this Rapunzel's version of an interrogation?

"Relax Blondie," Tiana stepped in. "Word on the street is Bjorgman is smitten with a mysterious new redhead."

"Oh come on guys!" Anna feigned offense as she set her laptop aside, "it's more of an auburn." Anna smirked as she fingered the end of her braid.

"So it's true! Have you tamed the infamous beast that is Kristoff Bjorgman?" Rapunzel jumped onto the end of Anna's bed. Tiana stayed standing with her arms crossed.

Anna rolled her eyes at the blonde but she could sense Tiana's apprehension. "It's nothing serious guys, I'm taking everything reeeeal slow." Hopefully her friends caught her meaning.

"Oh my gosh, we can totally go on triple dates now!"

"Yeah, sure Blondie, whatever you want." Anna laughed a little but could feel Tiana's skepticism radiating off of her.

Rapunzel squealed as she ran from the room. Anna was surprised that was the length of the interrogation.

Tiana, however, lingered at the doorframe. "I know you're smart Anna. But I also know Kristoff."

"He has given me no reason not to trust him." Anna's face was more somber now.

"Just...be careful." Tiana's voice was soft as she grabbed the handle to close the door behind her.

"I will, T."

* * *

Arendelle U had a plethora of food options to choose from on campus and Anna and Kristoff were currently at Oken's Tavern. They had just ordered their food when Anna excused herself to the restroom. Just as Anna was about to exit the stall two more girls came in. That wasn't out of the ordinary as this _was_ the women's restroom but what they were saying made Anna hesitate at the stall door.

"Holy shit did you see how good Kristoff looks tonight?" The first girl said. Neither girl went into a stall but Anna heard they voices at the counter.

"Yeah it's crazy how good looking he is. Bet you miss him keeping your bed warm." The second girl laughed teasingly.

"Oh we aren't done, not even close." The first girl spoke again, matter-of-factly.

"Really? I thought you guys stopped talking, like, last year?"

"Girl, I didn't tell you? We talked _all_ summer. Here look at this picture I sent him last night." The girl's voice had a hint of mischievousness to it. Anna held her breath.

There was a pause and then the second girl exclaimed, "Oh my god! Don't show me that!"

The first girl laughed, "Don't be such a prude."

"You actually sent him that? But I heard he's talking to some new girl."

"Oh please, we all know Kris's track record. She's just—what that's old saying?—the flavor of the week."

They continued their conversation but Anna heard the door open and their voices faded back into the busy restaurant. She waited another beat, just to be safe, and then exited. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Anna could see how effected she really was by those girls' conversation.

_You're so fucking stupid. Of course he's playing you. You heard the stories. You heard what Tiana had to say. Why would you be any different? What makes you special? _

_Stupid. _

_Annoying. _

_Slutty. _

* * *

Kristoff was casually scanning the restaurant, waiting for Anna to come back, when he saw her burst out of the bathroom and push her way towards the door. Confused, he ran out after her. Kristoff had picked her up to go out tonight but the walk back to The Palace wasn't far. She could use the cold air to calm her down. She made it to the edge of the parking lot, away from any streetlights, before she heard, "Anna! Hey! Where are you going?" Kristoff jogged to catch up to her. But Anna did not stop or turn. "Leave me the hell alone."

Kristoff was shocked by the venom in her voice, "What happened?"

"_You_ happened." Anna turned to him now, "And I was dumb enough to fall for your fucking act." _How does this keep happening? _Anna screamed in her mind.

"Anna, this isn't an act. I don't know what happened but—"

"How can I trust you when apparently you'll fuck anything with legs?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Kristoff voice was shockingly stoic.

"No? Then _please, _enlighten me."

"There are two sides to every story and despite what you _may_ have heard I have only had sex with two girls in my entire life. Both of them were committed relationships. The first was my high school girlfriend. Before we left for college I broke it off with her since doing long distance was not something I wanted. The second one was last year. Again, she was my girlfriend. It ended when I found out she had cheated on me with a soccer player. Since then I haven't gotten serious with anyone. Sure, I've kissed plenty of girls, I'm no saint. But when it comes to sex...that's different."

Anna was losing some of her steam but then remembered more details she heard from her bathroom stall prison, "Ok then what about the picture you got yesterday?"

"What picture?"

Thinking Kristoff was lying, Anna regained her heat, "There was a girl in the bathroom that said you guys had been talking _all_ summer and she sent you a pretty promiscuous picture last night." Anna sneered.

All summ...? Oh son of a bitch. _That_ would be my cheating ex." Kristoff's frustration was apparent in his hand scrubbing down his face. "We didn't talk 'all summer'. She relentlessly texted me, trying to get back together. It got to the point where I just blocked her number so I didn't have to deal with her anymore." Wanting to prove his innocence, Kristoff reached deep into his front pocket and handed Anna his iPhone. Feeling unsure, Anna opened the Settings and scrolled to Messages. There it was, a singular name under the Blocked contacts.

"So whatever picture she sent, I never got it." Kristoff's voice was softer now. He didn't want to fight with Anna, he wanted her to see the truth.

Feeling more foolish than she ever had, Anna's fight or flight was kicking in and her body urged her to run. "I should go."

"Please don't." Kristoff said softly as he reached out for Anna's hand.

"I'm such an idiot. I'm sorry for accusing you without knowing your side." Anna murmured. She was so embarrassed she couldn't even look at him.

"It's not your fault, from what you heard it didn't look good for me. I never paid any mind to what people say about me. But," Kristoff gently intertwined his fingers with Anna's, "they're going to talk about you now too and for that, I'm so sorry. I don't want you in the crossfire of any of my bullshit."

There was a solid pause between the two, and then Anna looked up and said, "Fuck them. Let 'em talk." A huge grin burst across Kristoff's face. He then wrapped his strong arms around Anna's back, caging in her arms, and lifted her in the air. She squealed out in laughter and the trouble was easily forgotten. Kristoff returned Anna to the ground, "Well I bet our food is ready by now." Anna scrunched her nose. She didn't really want to go back in there knowing Kristoff's ex was still pining after him.

Reading her mind, Kristoff grabbed Anna's hand and reached for his truck keys, "But you know what? I'm really craving Chick-Fil-A."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Anna doesn't often second-guess her decision _not_ to drink alcohol, but tonight is one of those times. The appeal of an aid to help numb everything...she could see why hurt people indulged. Sometimes the pain gets to be unbearable. But she always had to remind herself that the pain meant she's still alive. And she wouldn't change that for the world. So any thoughts of changing her principles were quickly dashed as Anna gripped the steering wheel tighter.

It's just another Thursday.

Except everything is closed and the streets are empty. By this time families were boxing up the leftovers and breaking out the pumpkin pie. Anna loves pumpkin pie. Or at least she use to. It's been three years since she's eaten it. She's sure she would still love it, with extra whipped cream of course, but she never has any place to eat it.

It's just another Thursday.

She just keeps telling herself that.

Is it cliché to say that 'Holidays are the hardest'? She doesn't care. It's fucking true.

Thanksgiving was always her favorite. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and the fucking pumpkin pie. She didn't like all the fancy green bean casserole or cranberry whatever. She stuck with the basics, the classics. Sometimes, in the grocery store, she'd pass by the boxed stuffing and her mouth would water at just the memory of her mother's stuffing. Her mom never used the boxed crap, and it _had_ to actually be stuffed into the bird, but the sentiment was the same. It's the first time in three days that Anna actually felt hungry. Damn those memories. It had also been three days since she has seen anyone. This was the first time she had ventured out of the Palace since everyone left for home on Monday.

_Are you sure? I swear puke doesn't bother me, we can bring a bunch of plastic bags and I'll wear one of those surgical face masks!_

_I don't think I could last in a car for six hours. I'm just going to stay here and watch Netflix, I'll be fine. Promise._

Anna doesn't know what drove her to lie to Rapunzel. No, wait, yes she does—she hated herself. A holiday dedicated to coming together with family and being thankful, and Anna would rather sit alone in a big empty house, feeling sorry for herself. The anxiety of being around a warm, happy family that wasn't hers was too much. And Anna couldn't go through with it. So she lied and said she had the flu. It wasn't that hard as Rapunzel was already packed for home so it's not like she had to keep up the charade for long. The other girls had left right after classes finished on Friday. But Rapunzel wanted to wait for the roads in Utah to improve before the pair left for her home state. Kristoff's flight home to Montana was early Saturday morning. He warned Anna ahead of time that his family was very festive and had a strict rule about cell phone during family time. But he promised he would try to text her when he was turning in each night.

She hadn't heard from him since Tuesday. How could she be mad at him? It just made her loneliness more apparent. And that's what drove her to the 24 hours storage facility at the edge of town. The entrance gate and internal building were all electronically automated so she wouldn't have to worry about holiday hours.

When she left Ahtohallan, she _really_ left. Not wanting to deal with her childhood home, she only packed up a few things into a truck and drove it to Colorado. At the time it felt like enough. But now, raising the metal door to the ceiling, the storage unit looked sparse. The blue antique couch with the pattern that Anna had always loved sat in the middle of the small 'room'. Surrounding it was about fifteen or so boxes. And then, finally in the back, the big beautiful dining room table and chairs where they always ate Thanksgiving dinner. This was all that she had. So it was only appropriate to spend this particular evening here, with the only remains of her parents. The couch was covered in a thick plastic wrap so it crinkled loudly as Anna sat down. Being from the 1800s, it wasn't comfortable to begin with, but now Anna would be lucky if her joints didn't hurt in the morning. She just stared at the boxes for a while. She didn't know how long. She hadn't opened this stuff since she packed it up last summer.

With a deep sigh, she grabbed the closest one. It was stuff from her dad's office, mostly books, but some trinkets too. She never spent much time in his office, it was always dark and boring in there. But he liked his little desk toys so Anna kept them. The little ball clinker thing was the best. Her father had explained to her one time something about Newton and his laws...or something...but she just liked to clink them back and forth. The next box was her mom's jewelry. Anna knew this stuff was safer in a lock box at the bank but it never seemed to matter much. Her mother always had the perfect accessories—necklaces, tennis brackets, broaches, and of course the earrings. But Anna's finest memories are her mom wearing a t-shirt and baseball cap, nothing fancy. Opening one final compartment in an old jewelry box, Anna was met with the sight of a large diamond ring. She didn't even know this was in here. Her mother rarely wore her engagement ring and opted for the simple wedding band instead. It had been years since Anna had even seen it, but wow, it was beautiful. It was all silver with a large pear-shaped diamond in the middle, with a thin band with much smaller stones going around. Turning it around in her fingers, it still sparkled in the dingy light above her. Her left hand moved instinctively and placed the ring onto her right ring finger.

It fit perfectly. Anna hated that it did. She clenched her jaw to fight against the burning in her throat.

The next box was filled with photo albums and picture frames. Of fucking course. This time Anna didn't fight the overwhelming feeling of anguish as the tears started to fall. Why the fuck was she doing this to herself? A small part of her hoped that this would make her feel better, to look back at this stuff and remember how much love her parents gave her. But, although those feelings were there, the feeling of loss was overpowering. They would never see her play again. Her dad would never walk her down the aisle. They would never see their grandchildren. Sobs racked Anna's body as she ran head first into the pain. It was rare for her to completely and utterly break down like this anymore. She had gone through the mourning process and had come out the other side. Seeing a therapist helped. But she wasn't perfect. Her mind continued to flash scenes of the future that her parents would never see when the vibrating of her phone brought her back to the uncomfortable couch is the dusty storage unit.

Someone was calling her. When she looked down at the screen, Kristoff's stupid handsome face was staring back at her. She declined the call. Moments later, his face was flashing on the screen again. And again, she declined. Her phone stayed silent and Anna thought that was the end of it but then, not even two minute later, there he was again.

"Hi." She hated how her voice sounded.

"What's wrong?" She hated how his sounded more.

"Nothing." She cleared her throat but it didn't help.

"Anna-"

"I just need some time. Please." The last word barely audible. She sounded so weak.

"Ok...I'll be here."

"I know." And she did.

* * *

The moment Kristoff landed on Friday afternoon, he headed straight for The Palace. The women in his family loved Black Friday shopping and the flights were far cheaper that day so it only made sense to head back to school a little earlier than everyone else.

He didn't bother knocking. The only car in front of the house was Anna's Subaru. He would be lying if he said the phone conversation with Anna the night before hadn't affected him. _Conversation_ was generous. He worried about her with the holiday coming up but she was going to Utah with Rapunzel and he trusted everything would be fine. When she didn't answer any of his texts Thanksgiving night or his first two calls the worry started to seep back in.

She was fine. She was with Rapunzel. He would just call her roommate to make sure. That wasn't crazy stalker status was it?

_She didn't tell you? She got the flu and didn't think she could make the drive._

Bullshit.

And when she finally _did_ answer...it chipped a piece of his heart. That wasn't the sound of someone with the flu. It was the sound of a girl who was broken. He found her in the kitchen. She was wearing leggings and an oversized shirt. _His_ oversized shirt. When she looked up at him, its like that first breath after being underwater for too long.

"Hey-" his body was surrounding hers before she could get any other words out. He was so warm and strong and everything from the previous night instantly melted away. Anna's body responded in kind and she was putty in his hands.

"Hey," this time her voice was much softer as she gripped onto the back of his shirt. In a swift movement, he lifted her onto the kitchen island and sealed his mouth to hers. Securing his body in place between her legs, Anna indulged in the warmth that was Kristoff Bjorgman. Missing him hadn't helped her mental state the past week but him being here now helped fade all the darkness. As Anna playful bit his lower lip, Kristoff's hands roamed to the hem of her shirt and teased the bare skin at the small of her back. As his large hands drifted higher, Anna tightened her legs around his hips, pulling him dangerously close to her core. The kiss was fast and demanding and exactly what she needed. But before it could go any further, Kristoff moved his head back, "That's my shirt." His smirk made Anna's stomach flip.

Resisting the urge to whine at him stopping, Anna only winked, "It looks better on me though."

"That, I cannot argue." He placed one last firm kiss on her lips before pulling out of her grasp completely. Anna immediately felt the loss.

"So, how's that flu treatin' you?" All playfulness was gone from Kristoff's face and Anna suddenly felt cold all over.

"I know I shouldn't have lied. I just wanted to be alone." Shame slammed into her chest painfully.

"And how did that work out for you?" She knew he was referring to their phone call the previous night. And her mind flashed back to her, in the storage unit, a mess on the couch. She remained silent, not trusting her own voice at that point, but the look of embarrassment was hard to hide.

"Exactly."

When Kristoff took out his phone, Anna thought the conversation was over. She didn't really know what to think of it all, so she continued to stay silent. After a few furious swipes and screen tapping, Kristoff looked up, "Ok, it's done. Your flight is booked." Kristoff said finally, replacing his phone in his front pocket.

"What?" She definitely wasn't expecting him to say _that_.

"You're coming home with me for Christmas."

"What?" The volume of Anna's voice increased, confusion apparent.

Kristoff only smiled at her and returned to his previous position between her legs. This time his hands remained on the outside of her shirt. "Should I have asked first? Ok. _Will_ you come home with me for Christmas? But know that the flight is non-refundable so…" Anna's mind was working overtime, and his warm hands rubbing circles on her back wasn't helping her focus. She could feel her face as it gaped at him but no words wanted to come out.

"But-but...How are your parents going to feel about you bringing home a random girl?"

Kristoff's laugh was loud and joyful, "Anna if you think I _haven't_ told my parents about you, you're crazy." At those words he squeezed her sides and moved his forehead to hers, "They're dying to meet you." His voice was husky and the familiar feeling returned to her stomach.

"You—They are?" Anna searched his honeycomb eyes for any trace of a lie.

"You're a funny girl. I keep telling you exactly how I feel. This is the real deal Anna. I'm in this for the long haul." He grinned while snaking his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his chest.

Anna was speechless, her brain refused to work. "But...we aren't even boyfriend and girlfriend." Was that really the _only_ thing you could think of in this moment? _Idiot_.

Kristoff stilled momentarily and then relaxed, "In all honesty, I already refer to you as my girlfriend, Anna. But I guess, I'm realizing now, that we've never really had 'the talk'. So here it goes…" Kristoff stepped back and held Anna's hand between both of his. He steeled his expression and asked, "Anna Agnarrsdottir, will you go steady with me?"

"Oh shut up." Anna rolled her eyes. Using his hold on her hands, she brought him back and molded her lips to his.

That was a good enough answer for him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Why was Anna surprised that Kristoff's parents were utterly perfect? Cliff and Bulda Bjorgman: Living Rock's very own Chip and Joanna Gaines.

The three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas break were filled with all-nighters, project deadlines, research papers and final exams. And before Anna could even process her semester grades, she was boarding a flight to Bozeman, Montana.

Living Rock was only about an hour south of the airport, but Kristoff refused to let his parents pick them up. He had left his truck at school but insisted that renting a car would be more convenient, and safer, for everyone. Stepping into Kristoff's house was like every Hallmark and Netflix holiday movie combined. _House_ wasn't even an accurate representation of what it really was. More like winter-wonderland-cabin-getaway, roaring fire included. It was all the more impressive when Anna found out Cliff designed and built it all himself. And without the help of Pinterest! It was wide and spacious, all exposed beams and rustic brick, tall ceilings and hues of browns and reds everywhere. The Christmas tree in the great room was enormous and immaculate. Martha Stewart couldn't have done any better. And the snow on the ground outside only furthered the illusion of a perfect White Christmas. Anna had never seen a more perfect place.

December 23rd was spent cozying up to the fire, playing board games and helping Bulda cook in the kitchen. She also got to help Kristoff hang his ornaments on the tree. His parents had saved his for him like they did every year since he went to college. He explained that at the start of every advent they gave him a new ornament that had significance to that specific year. Of course there was the 'First Christmas' for 2004 with a picture of an adorable looking, 6-year-old Kristoff; a baseball glove for 2006 for Kristoff's first season; an old pick-up truck for 2014 when he got his license and a graduation cap for 2016. This year, his ornament was hand painted with a beach scene on it. Anna admired the detailing of the sailboats in the water, the lighthouse on the cliff and the perfectly scrawled 'Cape Cod 2019'. It was perfect. All of it was fucking_ perfect_.

Anna seemed to be thinking that word _a lot_.

* * *

Christmas Eve morning was spent lazily. Anna awoke to the smell of cinnamon rolls and coffee, and after spending a little extra time cozying between the flannel sheets, she made her way downstairs. She opted for staying in her pajama shorts and reclining by the fire while enjoying her breakfast. Soft Christmas music was playing from the stereo and Bulda hummed along from her spot in the kitchen. Anna's head was lulling on the chair when she heard Bulda mutter, "I swear he would sleep the whole day away." and then loudly asked, "Anna will you go wake that boy up?" Anna stretched her limbs before making her way towards the stairs. She knew which room was Kristoff's but hadn't seen inside of it yet, it felt weird with his parents in the house, but now with his mother's permission...

As quietly as she could, Anna cracked open the door, hoping it didn't creak, and stepped into the darkened room. Closing the door behind her, she turned to admire the room before waking the sleeping lump in the bed. It was neat; no piles of clothes, no books or papers thrown about the floor, and no video game console. Everything of a typical college boy was absent here. Anna was just now realizing she had never actually seen Kristoff's room back at school either. Maybe it was messier without Bulda looking after it... The queen size bed stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by a thick cherry wood frame. Anna wouldn't be surprised if Cliff had made that too. The detailing of it was beautiful, the hard edges still very masculine. The walls were fairly bare, besides the one across from the bed that held a collage of pictures, awards and framed articles. She could easily spot high school Kristoff in the team pictures. He was gangly with an adorable baby face and much shorter hair. A small smile graced Anna's lips as she admired a candid picture of him holding the state trophy. Turning back to the bed, Anna's sock-clad steps were silent as she approached the sleeping man. Her stomach fluttered at the sight of him. Even in the dim lighting, she could clearly make out his handsome features. His face was soft and relaxed, much different from his smirking lips and expressive eyebrows; he looked more like that gangly teen in the pictures.

Not really wanting to wake him, Anna pushed some of his unruly hair away from his face and ran her nails over his scalp in the way she knew he liked. Kristoff inhaled deeply through his nose before Anna realized his arms were moving. In a fluid motion, one arm pulled back his covers while the other snaked around her waist. He pulled her over his body to the empty bed space on the other side of him, drawing a surprised squeak from her throat. His waist was still covered by the sheets and quilt but now Anna could see his bare chest and torso as his hands drifted down her back to her hips. Warmth blossomed in her abdomen at the sight of him now. Of course he slept shirtless. Her hand had landed on his side in the abrupt position change and heat was radiating off of him. That was why she felt so _fucking_ warm, right? Was this the first time she was seeing him without a shirt on? It sure as hell felt like it. The firmness of his obliques stirred Anna to openly admire the rest of him. Dark hair lightly dusted his chest making the image of him seem much more mature, the semblance of any gangly teen long gone. His pale skin was pulled taut across his muscles, dipping and curving with each new tendon. Her eyes moving lower, the warmth in her stomach igniting into a full blown wildfire. Hard, smooth muscles greeted her even in his most relaxed state.

_How did any real guy look like this? _

The large hand on her hip moved lower to pull her body closer to his. When she looked back up to his face, amber eyes showed no sight of sleepiness but burned her with a matching heat she felt internally. There was no humor in his lazy smirk and it took all her power not to lean in. "I could get used to waking up like this." His voice was so husky from sleep it made something in Anna snap. She grabbed the back of his neck and slammed his lips to her. They had shared plenty of sweet, innocent kisses and even more steamy make outs but nothing like this. The gravity of the bed was pulling at a longing deep in Anna's core as Kristoff and flannel surrounded her. She wanted to feel all of him and, as if reading her mind, Kristoff shifted his body onto hers. She could feel his strength covering her and, even with the few linen layers between their lower halves, the hardness of him pushing towards where she wanted it most made her moan. The sound stirred Kristoff further, his right hand drifting under the fabric of her worn sleep shirt. Goosebumps flared across her stomach as his calloused fingers grazed her skin, reaching higher and higher until they traced the underside of her breast. Anna arched her back to spur him on but with a regretful groan, Kristoff pulled his hand back and rested his forehead to Anna's.

"You're trying to fucking _kill me_."

"If you don't keep going, I just might." Anna's own voice was thick with exasperation.

"Jesus I wish we weren't in my parents' house." Kristoff said to himself but the memory of exactly _where_ they were dashed Anna's flame pretty quickly. That is, until Kristoff removed himself from the bed. Apparently he slept in boxer briefs. _Only_ boxer briefs. He kept his back to her as he clearly _adjusted_ himself, which made her toes curl at the thought. The view from the back was just as good from the front. Krisoff's back rippled nicely as Anna's eyes traveled down his lats to the black fabric covering the only part of him. Removing the sheets that had covered her in their...moment, Anna shifted her body to the edge of the bed. She stayed put, not trusting herself to get closer to Kristoff in his undress, but continued to admire him.

"I should really jump in the shower." Kristoff refused to turn to meet her.

"Want me to join?" Anna would never, but she loved how all his muscles tensed at her words.

"Fuu-uuck." The word sounded like it had a couple extra syllables thanks to Kristoff's astonishment. This time he couldn't help but turn to her, she noticed he kept his hands in front of himself, blocking her view of anything..._indecent_, but the expression he wore was absolutely wrecked and Anna held back a smirk.

Finally moving from his bed, Anna walked towards him, reaching out to run her hands down his chest and stomach. They stopped just above his waistband but scrapped her nails at the sensitive skin, "Another time." She whispered. She lightly bit the tight skin of his shoulder and walked out his door. The loud groan from the other side of the door had her laughing at his expense. It had been a long time since she embraced her more racy attitude but it felt good to tease Kristoff like that. The usual self-deprecating thoughts didn't have a chance to cloud her mind as Anna was far too focused on acting normal with Bulda in the kitchen while simultaneously trying to calm her racing heart.

* * *

Anna was never overly religious. Growing up, the softball field was her church on Sunday mornings, but she did have a few fleeting memories of church services from when she was a child. She always believed in God and Jesus and the whole crucifixion thing, there was never a reason to doubt for her, but she always lacked the emotional response.

Christmas Eve service seemed like one of those things you just _did_. The wise men, baby Jesus in the manger—sure it's tradition. But seeing the beauty of Kristoff's hometown church fully decorated, singing the traditional songs while finally listening to their meaning, it was opening her heart to the idea of _more_. Although the snow continued to fall outside, Anna was surrounded by the warmest glow she had ever felt. And when the lights went down and nothing but candles lit the sanctuary, Kristoff grabbed her hand and Anna knew this was where she wanted to be.

When they returned home it was well past ten o'clock so everyone murmured their good nights and headed off to their respective rooms. Anna tried to sleep, but her brain wouldn't shut off. Looking at the bedside clock, it was nearly midnight. Maybe a cup of hot chocolate would help.

The fire was still going strong and washed the staircase with a soft orange light. Before Anna hit the last step, she noticed Bulda sitting on the sofa, a half-finished wool hat in her lap. "Can't sleep dear?"

"I guess not." Anna paused in the living room, hot chocolate forgotten.

"Did you enjoy the service tonight?"

"Yeah, I really did. It was beautiful." She decided to sit across from the older woman in one of the plush chairs.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, Kristoff told us about your parents…" Bulda let the sentence hang and Anna gave her sad smile but nodded her head encouraging her to continue, "Where have you spent Christmas these last few years?"

"Well, the first year I-I didn't think I could stay at home, so I decided to go to New York. I had always wanted to see the city and Time Square. It was pretty but...it wasn't the same. After that I spent Christmas Day helping at different places. It made the day...not as lonely."

"No child should have to go through what you've gone through." Bulda paused as she noticed Anna stare into the fire, "I'm glad you're here with us," she finished.

"Me too." Anna whole-heartedly meant it, but she didn't look up from the fire.

"Family is a funny thing dear. It doesn't always mean blood but it _does_ mean opening yourself up to potential pain. It was decades ago now, but the pain Cliff and I experienced still feels very fresh. Time does heal wounds but it will never dull the memories. We hoped and prayed for a child but every false test stabbed like a knife. When we started fostering children, we never knew how long they would be with us. The feeling of connecting with a child and then having to say goodbye to them was difficult but, to help them in their time of need, was far more important. A piece of my heart is with every child that walked through that door.

"When we met Kristoff, I knew he was different. I asked the Lord to protect that boy and if he were meant to be with us, then God would make it so. The day we signed those adoption papers was the best day of my life. We still celebrate it every year, we call it his Gotcha Day." Bulda smiled so genuinely then, "Even though we went through unspeakable heartache, I wouldn't change it for the world. Because Kristoff filled those cracks in my heart with so much love. Love is what makes a family dear. Even though you feel alone right now, you'll find that love again some day. And when you do, the darkness won't seem so dark."

Anna's cheeks were wet with tears but she refused to wipe them away. Bulda Bjorgman was a saint and she wanted nothing more than to bask in her absolute radiance. Anna moved from the wingback chair towards the sofa where Bulda crocheted, "Do you think I could sit here for a while? With you?"

"Of course dear."

Anna curled her legs up and gingerly leaned her head onto Bulda's shoulder to watch the fire. It wasn't long before her eyes were drifting shut.

* * *

Again Anna awoke to the smell of coffee, but the fresh scent of peppermint permeated it this morning. As she rolled over onto her back, her drowsy brain recalled the memory of someone lifting her off the couch and the feel of five o'clock shadow rubbing against her forehead. Smiling at the thought of Kristoff carrying her up to her room, Anna leapt out of bed. It was Christmas!

Yanking the door to her room open, Anna was met with a rectangle gift box with a note, 'Open Me'. Bending down to take the top off, she was saw green, white and red striped fabric. She took the box back into her room and placed in on her bed. Pulling out the entire contents, Anna smiled at the Christmas themed pajamas. The bottoms were the striped fabric she first noticed and underneath, a red top with a Christmas tree. Anna quickly changed into the new outfit and placed wool socks on her feet. Her heart swelled when she reached the top of the staircase and was met with the sight of Cliff, Bulda and Kristoff wearing the exact same outfit as her and yelling "Merry Christmas!" Anna laughed gleefully and pushed the burning sensation in her throat out of her mind. She couldn't cry on Christmas! (Even if they _were_ happy tears).

Breakfast first and then presents. It was the rule. "I've been fighting it for fifteen years now but she's a stubborn one." Kristoff muttered to Anna at the breakfast table.

"Kristoff Michael, it is not too late for me to take back those presents!" Bulda threatened from the kitchen. Anna couldn't help but laugh at her pouting boyfriend.

When it finally _was_ time for the presents, Anna was actually _giddy_ with excitement. She looooved giving gifts and she really hoped they liked hers.

"Blundstones!" Cliff shouted as he tore the wrapping paper from his gift.

"Would you have liked black better? I didn't know which color. I'll give you the receipt so you can exchange-." Anna babbled nervously.

"Oh stop your fussin!" Cliff interrupted her. He was already pulling the boots on and walking around the house, "It's like floating on a cloud. Bulda all the boys on the site are going to be green with envy!" his wife only laughed at him as he started doing lunges in the kitchen.

"Ok my turn!" Bulda rubbed her hands excitedly as Kristoff pushed a large box towards her. With the first tear of the paper, the picture of a red KitchenAid Artisan Design stand mixer was revealed. Bulda stopped and looked up completely shocked.

"I overheard you on the phone with Kristoff a few weeks ago saying that your mixer died on you. I hope this one works better." Anna smiled at the speechless woman.

"Oh Heavenly Father! This is far too much dear I can't-"

"I hope you'll make us some of those famous snickerdoodles I've heard so much about." Anna cut her off, the warm smile never leaving her face. Bulda stared at the young woman for a few more seconds and then smiled, "Of course dear."

"Your turn!" Anna turned to Kristoff, a rectangular box in her hand. He tried to hide the look of confused concentration on his face as he took the box from Anna. Removing the paper and the lid to the box, Kristoff's looked on at the puffy, black, down material. Lifting it from the box, Kristoff noticed the familiar logo of the Patagonia brand on the garment. The tag hanging from the sleeve told him it was a 'Macro Puff Hoody'. _A four-hundred fucking dollar jacket_.

$200 boots for his dad.

$430 mixer for his mom

$400 jacket for him.

Kristoff's mind with running a mile a minute. How did she have a thousand dollars to drop on them for Christmas? That couldn't be financially responsible, could it? Anna didn't have a job. And she had rent to pay and food to buy. No, he would have to return this.

"Try it on!" Anna exclaimed as she unzipped the jacket hanging limply in his hands. It fit like a fucking glove. And was _so_ warm… Anna stood in front of him and pulled the hood over his head, "Do you like it?" she whispered. She saw his face when he opened it and now she was worried she did the wrong thing.

Pushing the price of the jacket out of his mind, Kristoff only focused on the woman in front of him, anticipation pouring from her eyes. "I love it." At his words, a beautiful grin bloomed across Anna's face lighting it up. She then lifted his arm and snapped the tag off. Much like Bulda, Kristoff was absolutely speechless.

...and then there was Cliff in the background trying to figure out the drone he had just opened, tap dancing in his new boots.

Anna busied herself with bagging up the wrapping paper from the gifts that were already opened. She could feel the two pairs of eyes on her but she did not acknowledge them. She really did not want to discuss money. She held strong in her avoidance, but she could feel the air turning awkward.

"Here dear, open this one." Bulda drew Anna back to the chair with the push of a thick box her way.

"Oh my gosh I have _always_ wanted to try snowshoeing! These are awesome! Thank you so much!" Anna leapt up to hug Bulda and Cliff, who had returned from the kitchen to stand behind the couch. Focused on her excitement, Anna looked through the small instruction manual on how to properly use the shoes.

"You've got one last one." Kristoff brought her attention back. He was swinging a small bag in front of her face. It felt light. Anna wasted no time in removing the tissue paper to reveal a...book? Ok...maybe not the _best_ present your boyfriend could get you for Christmas… Anna tried to keep a smile on her face as she looked up at Kristoff. He saw right through it and rolled his eyes, laughing at her. As Anna took the book out of the bag, her forced smile turned to a look of confusion as _**Yellowstone Winter Guide **_stared back at her. Anna just continued to look at the book, not really understanding it.

"We leave tomorrow." He said simply.

Anna's head shot up to look at him, "We-...tomorrow? For what?" She knew their return flight to Arendelle wasn't until the 29th. Kristoff gave a loud laugh and gestured with his hands towards the book, his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"No." Anna whispered in shock. "No way! Really?!" She jumped up. The biggest grin was plastered on Kristoff's face at Anna's reaction. Seeing that this was indeed real, Anna flung herself at Kristoff.

_Definitely_ the best present your boyfriend could get you for Christmas.

* * *

AN: Woo! I always feel so proud of myself when I complete another chapter. My real world has a lot going on and I don't usually get many chances to sit down and write. I have the next chapter half written/half outlined. Its always the mundane fluff I have the hardest time writing -_-

Who has seen Frozen 2?! Tell me what you thought!


	10. Chapter 10

Warning: rated M for sexual content

* * *

Chapter 10

The drive to Yellowstone National Park would have usually taken Kristoff less than an hour. But seeing as the roads were covered in snow _and_ he was pulling the snowmobile in the trailer behind his dad's truck, it took them about an hour and a half to get there. Better safe than sorry.

"_You have twenty-five _thousand_ followers?!"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Thousand! Twenty-five _thousand_!"_

"_Are you on my instagram?"_

"_Are you, like, _actually_ famous and never told me?"_

_Kristoff laughed at his girlfriend's exasperation, but just shrugged, "ESPN, Barstool Sports, even the NCAA, they all share our instagram handles whenever they report on us."_

"_That's insane!"_

"_If anything, that's on the low end. You should see some athletes from other schools. There's one dude on Duke's basketball team with like five-_hundred _thousand."_

"_Wow." Anna murmured as she continued to stare at her phone._

"_I thought you didn't have an instagram." Kristoff's voice questioned._

"_I may or may not have opened your page in a web browser." Anna mumbled._

_Kristoff let out a bark of a laugh at her admittance, "And why would you do that?"_

"_I was...just curious…" Anna trailed off embarrassed._

"_Curious if I had ever posted a picture of you?"_

"_No!" Her response came so quickly that Kristoff knew he had caught her._

"_Hmm-hn."_

_Clearly, Kristoff was an active user of the popular app and he seemed to post at least once, if not twice a week to his feed. Between the promotional graphics the baseball team's media manager created, goofy candid photos with his friends and the random #ThrowbackThursday, Anna found multiple posts that were kind of...out of place. Clicking on one of the older ones, Anna stared at a beautiful sunset with something dark below it. When she turned up the brightness of her phone and zoomed in a little, she realized it was one of the top sections of the baseball field's bleachers. And rising above the darkness, only minutely, was a small triangle...or a person's knee, as if they were lying on their back on the bleachers._

_Holy shit._

_She checked the date just to confirm her suspicions-October 5, 2019. Anna knew Kristoff must have taken this picture the night they first talked after his scrimmage, but he hadn't posted it until after their first "date". __Anna's stomach fluttered when she finally read his caption: 'The first step to getting what you want is knowing what you want'_

_The next photo that caught her eye was also from October and it was just a bunch of playing cards scattered on a table. Except they were Rapunzel's novelty cards with different reptiles on them. And Anna's hand was in the corner holding a nine of hearts. The caption read, 'Who knows where I can get a boat?' __It didn't take long for Anna to recall their conversation in her kitchen from the night of the end of fall ball party. But to any other person on the internet it would just imply he was probably doing well in a card game and could use the earnings to buy something extravagant._

_The last one Anna clicked on was far more obvious than any other one on Kristoff's feed. It looked like it could be posted on every college girls Pinterest board with how perfect it looked: a roaring fire surrounded in brick, a huge Christmas tree lit in the corner and a comfy leather chair. And from that chair, resting on the matching ottoman in front of it were feminine legs __clad in__ green, red and white flannel and feet covered in thick wool socks. Kristoff must have snagged the picture of her from behind the chair when she wasn't paying attention. __Warmth spread through Anna as she read the one word caption: 'Home'_

_Kristoff craned his neck to see what Anna was looking at, and then turned back to the road, "You told me you wanted to keep your personal life personal. So I didn't really think you'd want your picture blasted out to thousands of strangers."_

_She had said that months ago and hadn't given it a second thought since. But Kristoff? He took her words and her feelings and honored them from the beginning. _

"_You should know though, a looot of my followers are very curious to know who the mystery girl is." _

_Anna laughed and said, "Oh yeah? Looks like they think I'm your sister." after scrolling through some of the top comments._

"_Any _true_ Bjorgman fan knows I don't have a sister." Kristoff scoffed._

When they arrived at the hotel parking lot, Kristoff suggested they bundle up in the truck and head out to explore. Snow was falling at a leisurely rate and the sun was bright enough through the clouds that the views were perfect. But the forecast called for a big storm this evening and Kristoff didn't want to get caught in it if it arrived earlier.

Traveling by snowmobile was Anna's new favorite mode of transportation.

"_I had to take an online course to get certified so we don't have to hire a guide."_

She had always loved the snow, but growing up in southern California did not give her the best opportunities to enjoy it. And Yellowstone snow was _a lot_ different than Big Bear Mountain snow. The best part were the helmets with intercommunications in them. So Anna could hear Kristoff describing all the sights they were seeing loud and clear while still keeping her head warm. Well, _actually_, the best part was seeing a herd of bison near the lake. Anna actually squealed when she saw them. And then quickly apologized to Kristoff for rupturing his ear drums. But they were beautiful! So majestic and fuzzy!

"_The babies!" Anna cooed. _Kristoff made sure to keep the allotted distance from them just to be safe. You _definitely_ didn't want to be on the receiving end of those horns.

The pair traveled near Highway 191 and hit as many geysers as they could before dinner. The big show being Old Faithful, of course. Anna was ecstatic to cross it off her bucket list, even if they _did_ have to wait forty-five minutes to see it erupt. As the sun started to dip, Kristoff turned them back to the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel where they had a reservation for dinner. The dining room was simple but so classic. And the food was amazing! Anna couldn't bring herself to order the bison tenderloin after seeing how cute they were in person, but the elk sliders were the best she had ever had. (It was easy to be the best when they were the _only_ ones she had ever had). After the couple shared a Yellowstone Sundae it was time to turn in. Instead of staying in the traditional hotel, Kristoff had opted for the more secluded cabins. Anna was glad to finally make it inside as the storm that was forecasted was really starting to hit. The temperature was already 10° and it was only getting colder. It was supposed to be a short one, predicted to be passed by noon the next day but wow was it coming down. Walking into their cabin, Anna was grateful for the blast of heat that met her.

She took her time to unbundle and admired the old fashioned room. It was pretty dated...but that gave it charm. Hell, this _was_ the first National Park in America! Hardwood covered the floor and led Anna's eyes to the queen size bed in the center of the room. Anna admired the wood bed frame and the traditional American Indian designed quilt on top. There was only one bedside table with a lone digital clock on it. Above the bed were vintage wall lamps for each side and between them was an 11x14 matte picture. It was a vintage black and white photo of Teddy Rosevelt from his 1903 visit to the park (or so the inscription below it said). Across from the bed stood a matching wood desk and chair with a large mirror above it. And finally, to Anna's left was the door to the bathroom. In it, a simple floating sink, a toilet and a clawfoot tub.

It was Coco Chanel who said, "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."

Seeing the tub reminded Anna that she _was_ still fairly cold. "Do you mind if I take a quick shower?" she looked over her shoulder to Kristoff who was opening up his overnight bag.

"Go for it. It might take a second for the water to heat up but don't worry, it will."

It didn't take too long for the bathroom to fill with steam and the chill from outside was long forgotten. Doing her best to keep her hair out of the stream, Anna relaxed into the hot water. She couldn't help but reflect on these past few days with Kristoff and his family. They were honestly the happiest she had been since her parents had died...

...So why_ wouldn't_ her brain trigger an existential crisis right about now? Fucking hell. The _first_ overnight trip with her _first_ boyfriend since _him_? Yes! That seemed like the _perfect fucking time_ for her mind to turn on her. All previous happy thoughts were pushed to the recesses of her mind and every insecurity shot to the front. _Why is she different from every other girl he's been with? Why would he treat her this way? Why would _she_ deserve this? _More angry at herself for having these thoughts than distraught over the potential answers, Anna scrubbed the soap down her legs. She deserved to be happy damn it! And if Kristoff made her happy then she would embrace it!

_Enough of this bullshit._

She was well aware there were deeper seeded issues going on in her head that deserved their own professional attention but that was a topic for another day. Right now, she had the hottest guy she had ever seen waiting for her in the other room. Even if Anna wasn't already actively pushing the dark thoughts from her mind, the look Kristoff gave her when she exited the bathroom did the trick. He had been lying at the end of the bed, with his feet still on the ground when he heard the bathroom door open. Sitting up, he had planned to tease Anna about if there was any hot water left but the sight of her in her tiny, gray sleep shorts and his faded emerald Living Rock High School Baseball shirt made his throat go dry.

"And where did you get that shirt?" His voice was desperately hoarse but he couldn't find the power to care.

"I may have snooped through your room the other day while you were out with your dad." Anna grabbed the hem of it as her bright eyes sparkled with mischief.

"It never looked better."

Slowly moving to stand in the space between his legs, Anna combed her fingers through his long blonde hair, tilting his head back. The two just stood there, staring at each other while their hearts continued to speed up. When Anna scraped her nails on his scalp, Kristoff closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. Using his long locks to hold him in place, Anna leaned down and sealed her lips to his.

Of course Anna was aware of the implication of them sharing a room tonight. Their sexual chemistry was painfully obvious but they had yet to take the step of '_spending the night'_ together. Another reason Anna wanted to jump in the shower. She couldn't be smelling like a wild bison while sharing a bed with her smoke show of a boyfriend. And maybe she trimmed up a little…ya know, _just in case._

Keeping her lips sealed to his, Anna shifted her legs to straddle Kristoff's waist. His hands eagerly met her hips and held her in place in his lap. Deepening the kiss, Anna's teeth nibbled on his lower lip while her body pushed down on his. It wasn't long before she felt the tale tell stiffening below her. Butterflies bloomed in her stomach just from the anticipation of what was to come. Pushing down further, Anna moved her hips in a tiny circle. This action elicited a throaty moan from the man below her which then shot flames down all her nerve endings, begging for more friction-a very vicious cycle.

In a swift motion, Kristoff wrapped an arm around Anna's waist and flipped their positions. She was pinned to the bed, his body securing her in place. Now that they were no longer in his parents' house, there was nothing stopping them from what was next. Feeling all of Kristoff's body pressed above her brought Anna's skin to life; goosebumps burst across all of her exposed flesh and heat ran up her neck to blush her face. Wanting to feel more of him, Anna spread her legs to cradle Kristoff between them. Her right leg curled around his thigh, trying to pull him even closer. Her hands reached for the hem of his shirt in search of skin. Pushing the cotton up, her fingers roamed across the warm flesh of his back. The muscles were flexed nicely as he was working to keep most of his weight off of her. Her hands moved quickly, trying to memorize every inch of him. When she moved to his front, the pressure in her stomach increased. The ripples of his muscles, his smooth skin stretching across them. She wanted more. Before her brain could process, Anna's hands were ripping Kristoff's shirt up and over his head. Trying to help her efforts, Kristoff reached up behind his neck to grab the back of his collar. Having to break their kiss as his shirt blocked them, Anna took the opportunity to oggle her boyfriend. God he was gorgeous. Running her hand up his chest, through his rugged chest hair and around his neck, Anna pulled him back down to meet her lips again. Her mind was a blur. All of her senses were totally consumed by him. But still, she wanted _more_.

Keeping one hand around Kristoff's neck, Anna's other hand traveled down his front to his pants. The band of his boxers was peaking out of his jeans, giving Anna the opportunity to slide her thumb into them, teasing him with her light touch. His hardened length was now painfully obvious as he pushed his hips into hers more. Unable to wait any longer, Anna moved to the button of his jeans, quickly undoing it and pulled down his zipper.

"Wait, Anna wait-" In a flash, Kristoff was gone. Well not _gone_ gone but now he was standing, completely removed from her and the bed.

_Never a good sign when you unbutton your boyfriend's pants... _

"I just, before-" Kristoff stopped to take in a deep breath. "Before I met you I was just floating through the times between baseball. It was the only thing that mattered and everything else was just a means to an end. And girls helped fill that time with a little more...entertainment. But I never _really_ cared. Even with the relationships I found myself in, they seemed easy and low maintenance but the second they became work I bailed. Even the reputation that seemed to circulate around me didn't affect my game so I didn't care what anyone said.

"But then you walked out of the practice facilities and...everything just changed." He paused and just stared at her. Propped up on her elbows, hair tousled, lips swollen. God she was fucking beautiful. Moving back to the bed, Kristoff kneeled at the end and crawled closer to her.

"There's this tree in the woods behind my parent's house. In the fall, just when the air starts to get a bite to it, the leaves would start changing. It always started slow but then, one day, it would look like the entire thing was on fire. It was just a tree but it gave me this feeling, like I was so small in a universe that could create such a beautiful thing. When I look at you, I get that same feeling. Every fiber of your being was perfectly crafted. Every arch and dip and freckle, exactly where it should be. And no matter how much time I spend with you, I still can't believe you're real. I've read love stories and seen movies but none of those really get it right. It's like this thing in my chest that aches in the best way and it makes my arms and legs so warm. And then I look at you, and it feels like home.

"I am so stupidly in love with you and I just had to say it before it killed me." He had returned to his previous position hovering over her. Staring down at her, he could see the tears streaming past her temples and into her splayed out hair but he didn't comment on them. He just used the pad of his thumb to brush the fresh ones away. Staring up into Kristoff's bright hazel eyes, trying to hold back the tears, Anna choked out, "I've experienced a lot of bad in my life but you are so impossibly _good_. I have felt broken for a very long time. But you make me feel like I could be whole again one day."

It wasn't 'I love you too'. Anna knew that. Kristoff _had_ to know that. Anna had seen plenty of romantic dramas where when the other person didn't say it back, it ruined everything. Anna never understood that. If you really _were_ in love, how could you just walk away if the other person wasn't ready yet? Anticipating the worst, Anna's chest released as Kristoff's boyish grin returned to his face. Just seeing that told Anna it would all be ok. Giving a watery smile of her own, Anna reached up to hug him. As she pressed her face into the stubbled of his jaw, Anna felt Kristoff's large hand reach under her shirt to press her tighter to him. As he reached higher, her skin tingled at the soft brushes of his fingertips. She had forwent wearing a bra and God was she happy with her choice, "Your skin is so soft." Kristoff mumbled into her neck as his fingers drew lazy circles down her spin.

Suddenly feeling far too hot in even her minimal clothing, Anna grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, "I moisturize." Being exposed to Kristoff for the first time didn't bother Anna. Specifically because of the look on his face. Leaning back on the bed, she watched him watch her. His eyes were dark and moved across her entire body but then stopped on her face. "Fuck. You're perfect." Anna's chest expanded at his words, "Shut up and kiss me."

In an instant, his body was covering her again, his eager mouth sealing to hers. And the skin to skin contact felt so delicious. His tuft of chest hair tickling her peaks, his hands brushing down their sides. She couldn't help her eyes closing as her mind blocked out everything else but the feel of Kristoff's lips traveling down her neck to her collar bone. An involuntary humm left Anna's lips at the sensations her body was feeling. That _he_ was making her feel. His mouth traveled even lower and the humm turned into an audible exhale of content. His tongue swirled over her sensitive flesh while his thumb traced the underside of her other breast. When he took her nipple between his tongue and top teeth, Anna's back arched into him and she had to bite her lip to (poorly) contain her moan. Kristoff continued to tease her mounds for what felt like both an eternity and not long enough. His hands never stopped caressing her-her ribs, her hips, her legs. They were so rough and warm, she wanted them to touch every inch of her.

In the back of her mind, she subconsciously knew Kristoff was going lower...and lower. And now, most of his body was off the end of the bed while he continued to bite and kiss a trail down her flat stomach. When his teeth sunk into her hip bone, Anna couldn't stop them from coming off the bed to meet him. And at that action, Kristoff's wandering hands stilled on her waist. Anna took the chance to open her eyes and look down towards him. He never looked better. His hair was ruffled from her hands pulling at it, his lips were swollen from their journey down her body and his eyes-Jesus-the pupils were so blown out that they looked black. When he raised that damn eyebrow and slightly nodded down at her hips, she knew what he was asking. And without removing her eyes from his, Anna gave the slightest nod of consent. Anna couldn't help her cheeks flushing in self-consciousness. She had never had a guy _down there _before. Hans was good with his hands but had never initiated anything like _this_. And she was never bold enough to suggest it. All thoughts of her previous sexual encounters quickly flew out of her mind as Kristoff's hands gripped the waistband of her shorts. She knew they were damp, her body reacted to Kristoff _very_ well.

He was now standing at the end of the bed, dragging her shorts down her legs. He left her black, lacy thong in place and Anna was glad. Somehow she felt like they were starting slow. Except she was mostly naked on a hotel bed with her boyfriend so maybe _slow_ wasn't the right word…

His entire torso was tightening with each breath he took. It made Anna want to reach out and run her tongue all the way down his stomach but the anticipation of what was to come froze her to the mattress. As he stood above her, eyes roaming all over her, Anna's hand came to her breasts to delicately cover them. The longer he stared the more exposed she felt.

"God I love you." Kristoff mumbled as if astonished by the sight of her. Just those few words affirmed Anna and dashed away any insecurity that was niggling at the edge of her mind. A blush covered her chest and face and Anna turned her head into the mattress. Again, Kristoff did not seem fazed by her lack of response. Instead, he started to bend down but stopped before he reached the ground. Wrapping his hands around each of her hips, Kristoff easily slid Anna down farther to the end of the bed. When her head whipped back to look at him, he was on his knees between her legs, smirking. One of Anna's legs dangled off of the end of the bed while the other was bent, foot planted on the mattress.

Kristoff's hands were on her again, starting at her ankles, drawing feather-light patterns all over her skin. The teasing sensation was driving Anna wild, especially now in their new position. As his hands made their way higher, Kristoff's mouth found her inner thigh, kissing, nibbling, beard scratching. His right hand finally reached Anna's bikini line but still stayed out of reach of her undergarments. His index finger traced the outline of the hem at the crease of her thigh and-shit-how could it feel this good without him actually touchingher _there. _Anna's moan was a mix between utter pleasure and frustrated anticipation. When Kristoff's finger finally made contact with her underwear, Anna sighed out a 'yes'. But she was unsure if the word was in her mind or if she actually said it out loud. But who gave a shit. Kristoff's index and middle finger started at the top of her panties and made a slow pass down, spread out to follow the hem around Anna's more _sensitive_ area.

She swore to God, _she_ was about to rip the damn things off if he didn't. Maybe she said that out loud too because in the next moment, Kristoff's thumbs hooked into the side of her panties and pulled them down her legs. His mouth continued to kiss her thigh but Anna felt the minute movements closer to where she wanted him the most. He placed one last kiss on the crease before Anna felt his hot breath on her core. With her right foot still planted on the bed, Anna's left lifted up to place her leg over his shoulder, the small gesture silently telling him to _go_. His tongue had covered every inch of her so she shouldn't have been surprised when she finally felt it _there_, but holy shit it was like a lightning bolt went off behind her eyes. Kristoff's left arm wrapped around her bent leg, giving him leverage, while his right hand was occupied by tracing every detail of her folds. His tongue was focused only on her bundle of nerves-slow wide strokes, a gentle flick with the tip, tight circles-and just when she thought she knew what he was doing, he would change it. Anna was no longer in control of what was coming out of her mouth, sighs or moans or even curses, she would never know. But, fuck, she never imagined anything could feel _this_ good.

Until he slipped his fingers inside of her.

Anna's back arched off the bed so quickly she barely had time to grip the sheets for support. Kristoff's two fingers moved delicately inside of her, stroking in _just_ the right way. She could feel something inside of her building and building with every curl of his digits. She never wanted it to end but she also wanted to fall so badly. Sensing her body's reaction, Kristoff's tongue increased its speed and pressure.

If before was a bolt, this was a full blown lightning storm building inside of her.

And then everything snapped into place and fireworks shot off behind Anna's eyelid. Every muscle in her body tightened and ragged moans fell from her lips. Knowing exactly what her body needed, Kristoff lightened his motions as he helped her ride through her climax. When Anna was finally limp on the bed, Kristoff kept his feet on the ground but leaned over her, hands on both sides of her shoulders. Her eyes remained shut and she felt a relaxed smile on her lips.

"God, you're good at that." Anna sighed out, unmoving.

She heard Kristoff snort, "You looked like you were enjoying it."

"Yeah?" Anna opened one eye now, insecurity ready to take hold of her.

"That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen." Kristoff answered, his voice low and husky. Anna's eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion, asking a silent question. "The most beautiful girl I've ever seen, falling apart for me? Yeah." Kristoff gave her his cockiest grin before she wrapped her hand around his neck to pull him down to her.

"Ready for bed?" Kristoff asked when they parted shortly after.

The thought of sleep was the furthest thing from Anna's mind, "We have some unfinished business Bjorgman." She stated, pushing him back to his standing position, with her now sitting at the end of the bed. His jeans were unbuttoned from earlier but still sat loosely on his hips. His black boxer briefs could be seen through the opening of the denim and Anna was very aware of _his_ excitement.

She reached over the side of the bed where her small duffle bag sat. Unzipping the side pocket, Anna grabbed something and came back to her previous position. Without a word, she pushed the small item into Kristoff's waistband with one hand while the other stroked him through his underwear.

Just the feeling of her hand on his hardened member made Kristoff's head roll back and forget everything he was thinking. Anna managed to push his jeans off his hips and to his thighs while her mouth explored the dips and curves of his abdomen.

Kristoff momentarily regained the function of his brain to realize just exactly _what_ was poking him in his waistband. Bringing his hand up to grab the object, he was met with a small, foil square. Looking from the condom in his hand down to Anna-resting her chin on his stomach, looking back at him with pure adoration-Kristoff had to pause, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"More than anything."

* * *

AN: my plan was to combine this chapter and the next but it was just too long and wasn't working. Hope you enjoyed it!


	11. Chapter 11

Warning: rated M for sexual content and implication of abuse

* * *

Chapter 11

When Anna awoke, her body ached in the most wonderful way and she couldn't help the flashes of the night before that played through her mind.

_The picture of his body fully exposed._

_Kristoff sliding into her for the first time, stretching her to fit him perfectly. _

_Her name on his lips, whispered like a sweet prayer. _

_His thumb on her to push her over the edge with him. _

_Waking him up a few hours later by taking him into her mouth. _

_Exploring each other's wants and needs in the darkness while surrounded by the raging storm outside. _

All the images were stirring the familiar tightness in her stomach and Anna was eager to explore that again with her bedmate. But first, the bathroom. Who knows what she looked like and a quick toothbrush never hurt anyone. As she removed her bare body from the cocoon of warmth that was the bed, goosebumps spread down her limbs. The sun was up but the winter storm was still in its final stages so the room was washed in a somber light. But it was plenty to help Anna find her thick wool socks. After digging around a little more, she finally found Kristoff's t-shirt and brought it up to her arms. Just as she was lifting it to cover her head she heard the last thing she ever wanted to hear.

"What's that scar from?"

Anna wasn't as graceful as she had hoped when she got out of their bed. But losing her warmth was what stirred Kristoff awake completely. Watching her bare skin stretch in the dim light reignited his excitement from the night before. But then he saw it. A large scar on the left side of her lower back. The skin was still so red and angry that Kristoff could easily tell it was a recent wound, definitely less than a year old. Whatever caused that scar was major. But Anna has never mentioned it before. And Kristoff did not miss her body going rigid at his question.

Anna's body refused to move but her mind was flooded with old memories.

_Getting to the hospital was a blur. She wasn't sure why the back seat of her Uber was wet but the guy driving just offered her some gum and played some shitty music so Anna ignored it. _

_A nurse met her before she could even make it to the check-in station. It must have been a slow night. The woman looked pleasant and was probably in her mid-30s but Anna was having a hard time listening to what she was saying. Her head was throbbing and her back was wet…? Her driver was definitely getting a bad rating for this._

_Why was she here again?_

"_My back." Her mouth said without her brain's permission. _

_She doesn't remember how she got to the room she was now in. A wheelchair? Or did she walk here?_

_Lying face down felt nice, the table was cool, even with the crinkly sanitation paper covering it. She was just going to close her eyes for a second…_

_When she came to, the nice nurse was moving her into a sitting position on the table. Her shirt was gone and she was sitting there in her bralette and leggings. The fabric of her bottoms felt off, they were stiff and crusty and an unfamiliar shirt sat folded next to her. Her hands moved instinctively to put it on. It was scratchy and too big and was probably from the lost and found._

"_How does that feel?"_

"_Um, fine." She wasn't about to complain about the shirt._

"_I was able to get the remaining glass out of your back and sutured it. You're going to need to keep them dry for 24 hours. Here, this has all the details of what you need to know." The woman handed Anna a single white piece of paper. Trying to focus on the tiny words only made Anna's vision swim._

"_Um, uh- thank you."_

"_What's your pain level?"_

_Anna looked up confused by her phrasing, "My what?"_

"_Your pain level: on a scale of one to ten how much pain are you in?"_

_Anna looked at the wall behind the nurse and tried to feel her body and what hurt. Her head, definitely her head. Her throat was a little rough but maybe she was catching a cold… And her back stung, especially when she inhaled. She wasn't looking forward to getting off this table and walking._

"_A six I guess."_

"_Hmm." The nurse pursed her lips and eyed Anna. "Miss, do you need help?"_

"_I thought you already helped me?" This conversation was so weird. What was this lady's deal?_

_The nurse reached up and brushed her fingers near Anna's left temple. Pain flared around her eye and Anna instantly flinched back. That single reminder triggered the vision of Hans in his apartment. Now she remembered why her head hurt, why her leggings were crusty, why it was hard to fucking swallow. _

_Now Anna knew why the nurse asked if she needed help. __Tears burned Anna's eyes at all the feelings flooding her system-anxiousness, fear, embarrassment. _

"_I don't know." It was the truth._

No one had ever seen the scar. Anna made sure of that. Avoiding any and everyone she knew while the bruise on her face healed had been the hard part (the nurse had written her professors asking for them to modify her finals due to medical complications), but hiding the scar was pretty easy. She had always worn an undershirt in the locker room or she changed in the stall after a shower. She only wore a one-piece in the summer, there were plenty of styles that were trendy. And she had been careful.

Until now.

Her scar, her past, _Hans_, they were all the furthest thing from her mind this morning. Sliding on the shirt the rest of the way down her body, Anna schooled her voice, "Oh I just fell." She made a grab for her shorts, all feeling of sexual desire gone from her self-confidence. Kristoff eyed her as she dressed, "You know I can tell when you're lying, right? But the fact that you're lying about an enormous scar is..." he didn't even have words to finish the sentence but his brain thought '_fucking terrifying_'.

Anna's heart sank. "Kristoff, leave it alone." her back remained to him.

"Leave it alone? Anna what are you talking about? Look at that thing!" Kristoff was flabbergasted as he sat up all the way in their bed. He made a quick grab for his underwear and was standing in front of her before she could even process what was happening. Fucking hell. She couldn't even look at Kristoff—this man who had so truthfully told her he loved her and had proven it with his body—was giving her a look that broke her inside. How could she tell him about that night? How could she relive it to this beautiful man that looked at her as if she held the world in her hands? What would he think of her then?

The pressure in her chest was building to the point of agony. Imagining Kristoff's reaction cut her breath short and momentarily blurred her vision. "I-I, I fell." Her voice was weak and stammered. Her wrists burned as if acid ran through her veins. Before her mind could understand what was happening, she was running.

Kristoff was stunned at her sudden disappearance and stared at the spot she had just been while the external door vibrated off the jam. Quickly his mind jumped into gear, "Anna!" He threw on his clothes as fast as he could and he took off after her.

She was fast, he could give her that. Kristoff was immediately met with an icy blast of wind as he left their cabin. Snow had been falling since yesterday afternoon and had quickly turned into a winter storm. It was supposed to subside this afternoon but they were still in the thick of it now. Of course he grabbed his jacket because Anna was wearing his shirt...his mind flashed back to exactly _what_ Anna has been wearing—a t-shirt, shorts and socks. Kristoff's mind spun in urgency knowing he had to get Anna back inside as soon as possible.

"Anna!" He screamed into oblivion. Snow swirled around him, clouding his sight line. It was impossible to see more than 20 feet in front of him. Spinning in circles, he couldn't even see the huge path that had been shoveled the night before. Moving away from the cabin-Kristoff's running shoes doing little to combat the fresh powder-he continued to scream her name. Staggered movement to his left caught Kristoff's eye as he instinctively moved towards it. Through the flurry he could make out the shape of Anna and sprinted towards her, "Anna!"

Finally hearing her name, Anna turned towards the voice. Without any further conversation, Kristoff swooped her up and ran back towards the cabin.

"My feet hurt." Anna weakly said.

Kristoff squeezed her tighter to his chest, "Good. That means you can still feel them."

Anna just wanted to close her eyes for a bit, especially when the frigid cold was replaced by comforting warmth. Kristoff knew from his Physiology courses that Anna was suffering from superficial frostbite and he needed to rewarm her skin with a warm bath. He placed her gently on the bed to turn on the tap in the tub and then quickly returned to undress her. Although they had been intimate the night before, this felt different to Kristoff. Anna was not all the way conscious and he didn't want her to think he was taking advantage of her. "Anna, I need to take your clothes off to get you in the bath." He spoke loudly and clearly but received nothing in return. Once he removed all of her sopping clothes, he took her into his arms again, cradling her. The bath water wasn't too hot—he knew that shocking the system with too hot of water could be detrimental. Kristoff continued to support Anna's head as he straightened her out in the tub. Now he could only wait. If she didn't warm up after 15 minutes he would have to call a ranger.

Thankfully, it only took about 4 minutes for Anna to regain consciousness. Kristoff had never taken his eyes off her face.

"Hey," his relief was palpable and he couldn't help if his eyes got a little misty.

"Hnnnn." Was the most he got from Anna as she sat up on her own.

After a beat, Anna whispered harshly, "I'm so fucking stupid." then she covered her face in embarrassment. She had always prided herself in keeping her emotions in check when her inner monologue tore her apart, but this was her breaking point. Hot tears streamed down her face as her body shook in silent sobs. In the four short months of knowing Anna, Kristoff had never seen her like this. Not even a shadow of this. Something had scared her to the point of risking freezing to death to avoid telling him about it. Kristoff had no words. He had pushed her the first time and she bolted. He knew something was terribly wrong but he could not force it out of Anna. She cried for what felt like forever. But Kristoff remained solid. Not moving, not speaking. Just being a presence for her, silently telling her he wasn't going anywhere.

As her sobs subsided, Anna began to breathe again, deep full breaths. Months of fear and self-loathing were released in those tears. And still Kristoff stayed.

And now she knew it was time. Gathering all her courage she released it, "The ex boyfriend I told you about at my junior college, one night he lost his temper and hit me. I thought he was going to- to kill me. But instead he threw me into his glass coffee table. When it shattered a large piece stabbed me in the back. It cut through my latissimus dorsi but I was lucky enough that it didn't hit my kidney. So that's what the scar is from."

A few seconds passed between them as Kristoff took in everything she just said. So many thoughts swirled through his mind but he filtered them all out for future conversations, "I know that was hard to say out loud. I'm so grateful that you trust me enough to share that with me. Whatever you need, I'm here." He was so calm. So solid. Where she felt like the howling snow storm outside, he was the sturdy mountain that did not waiver.

"Can you get me a towel?" Tears were still rolling down her face but she was looking at him for the first time now. Her large blue eyes were rimmed in red from all her tears and her nose and cheeks were burned from the weather outside. She was the picture of a broken woman, but Kristoff knew she would fight this.

"Will you let me check your toes first?" His eyes searched hers. Without questioning him, Anna lifted her feet from the warm water. Kristoff pitched each toe to make sure there was proper capillary refill. When each one passed his appraisal, he reached for the large white towel on the shelf. Turning to give her privacy, Kristoff was surprised by the embrace he then felt from behind. He felt her mumble more than he heard it, "What?" Kristoff asked as he turned to face Anna. She easily accommodated the shift.

"I said...I'm _fucked up_." She paused to take a deep breath, calming her voice, "Ever since that night, my mind has been...against me. Any and every mistake is magnified and vilified. What you told me last night, the words you said, I want to return all of that. You deserve to be loved _so_ fiercely Kristoff. And I think I can do that, maybe I already am... it's all just going to take me some time. And I hope you'll give it to me. I know I've already asked for a lot but-."

"You take as much time as you need. My love is not fragile."

* * *

AN: These last two chapters were outlined very early on in this story. But sometimes typing it all out takes a while. Thanks for waiting!


	12. Chapter 12

AN: I call this quarantine productivity. I also did a ton of outlining for future chapters. I really thought this was close to being done but who knows how many more chapters I'm gonna do. If you're on lockdown like my state is I hope you're staying entertained (and sane).

* * *

Chapter 12

The next two days were spent exploring Yellowstone, discussing deeper seeded issues and making love. Anna continued to be vulnerable and open up about her past trauma while Kristoff took it all in stride.

"And you just stayed in your house? All alone?"

"Yeah."

"How did staying there make you feel?"

"Fucking awful." Kristoff squeezed Anna's hand but stayed silent. He knew she had more to say. The two were leaning against the headboard of the bed, the flat sheet the only thing covering them.

"I told them I loved them that morning, I went to school and then they were just...gone. The laundry was still in the dryer, ground beef thawing in the sink. All the stuff you don't think about after something like that happens. Staying there was just a constant reminder of them...never coming home.

"I didn't know what to do with all the stuff. Clothes, and the furniture and boxed up Christmas decorations. It was all so much. Everything they accumulated in their lives. But I couldn't throw it away. So I just left it."

"You left it there?" Kristoff was a little surprised.

"Yeah...the house was paid off so I took my monthly stipend and got an apartment nearby. When I moved here, I brought some of their stuff with me. It's in a storage unit outside of town. Someday, when I'm ready, I'll go back and figure the rest of it out."

"It's hard enough to lose your parents at any age but I can't imagine what you went through—what you're still going through. When the time comes, if you want, I'll go there with you and help."

Anna rested her head on Kristoff's shoulder and smiled sadly, "I think I'd like that."

"You mentioned having a monthly stipend. Did you have anyone helping you through all the legal stuff?"

"Well there was my parents' attorney but Elsa handled all of it."

"Who's Elsa?"

"She's my...my sister." Anna's voice sounded embarrassed. She knew she had deliberately not mentioned Elsa before but it seemed wrong to omit her now.

"You have a sister?" Kristoff was beyond shocked. In all their conversations, Anna has never mentioned a sister.

"It's complicated. We don't really speak."

"Oh...well, um-" Kristoff tried to sound nonchalant so as to not push into another sensitive topic.

"I know you must have a million questions. It's ok, we can talk about her."

"Oh thank God." He relaxed. "How old is she? Where is she? Why didn't she help you with the house? Why-"

Anna laughed as everything spilled out of her partner's mouth, "Ok ok how about we just start with those ones first." Anna traced invisible patterns on the back of Kristoff's hand as she thought of where to start.

"Elsa is eight years older than me. She's in New York City and my only guess to why she didn't help with the house is because she was too overwhelmed with the business."

"Like a family business?"

Anna paused to gather her thoughts, "Elsa was the executor of the estate and my legal guardian since I was only 17 when our parents died. Since I was turning 18 a few months later Elsa didn't find it necessary to move me to New York and disrupt my senior year. But because she was now the owner _and_ CEO she didn't have the time to come back to California. I-" Anna paused again her voice becoming dark, "I had to bury our parents alone. She couldn't make it out for one fucking weekend. Oh but my allowance arrives every month like fucking clockwork." The pure malice dripping from Anna's words twisted Kristoff's heart.

"The age gap was always hard. We were never _super_ close but we got along fine. She went to school at Columbia so she could be close to the New York office. I was only ten at the time so I rarely saw her. Usually just holidays. The last Christmas we were all together was actually the most I've ever talked to her. I was older so we had more in common. We talked about boys and sex and college and- and she just finally seemed like a big sister, ya know? It was really cool. We texted more after that. I asked her for advice and she would send me cool stuff from Brooklyn shops. And then our parents died and..._nothing_. She wouldn't even answer my calls. She would only communicate with me through email and half the time it was her secretary sending them.

"I don't know what happened, or if I did something-"

"Don't. Don't blame yourself. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with Elsa. She clearly has some stuff to figure out but it wasn't anything you did." Kristoff turned his body to her just to make sure she believed him. These past few days Anna has opened up about her mental health and had admitted she was going to find a therapist. But he was still doing his best to help her with her negative headspace.

"Thank you. You're right." Anna had already cried too much. She took a deep breath, "So anyways, I spent the first Christmas after our parents passed with her in New York. It absolutely sucked. I barely saw her and we never even discussed why she essentially ghosted me. Who _ghosts_ their younger sister? All that being said, we still don't really talk. I've tried reaching out. Not even stuff about our parents. But she either doesn't reply or gives me really short answers. I don't know. It's just another one of those things I'll address when I'm ready. Or maybe, when _she's_ ready."

"Tell me about your family business. Are you going to go into it after Arendelle?"

"I don't know. It's an easy career path considering my last name but it's not something I could be passionate about. It all started with accounting. My dad created a payroll service back in the 80s that exploded and became the leading program businesses used to pay their employees. From there he invested in different areas—tax prep, bookkeeping, just boring stuff. But when he met my mom, who was his real estate agent, that's when it all kind of changed. It was the real estate stuff that really took them to another level. That's what Elsa runs in New York."

"Sounds...prominent. Well at least now I can stop worrying about how you afforded those Christmas gifts or my parents. I'm glad you didn't take out a loan for them." Kristoff laughed in disbelief.

"I hope this isn't too weird. I know I wasn't really up front-"

Kristoff cut her off again, this time he rolled her on top of his chest and pushed some of her loose hair behind her ears, "Knowing this stuff doesn't change anything. You know how I feel about you."

"Yeah you _loooove_ me." Anna teased, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

"Oh I'll take it all back right now." Kristoff grinned as his fingers attacked her vulnerable sides. Squealing, Anna tried her best to get away from him but his legs locked onto hers and she was trapped.

"Ok! Ok! I give! You win!" Anna was out of breath but Kristoff just continued to laugh below her. When she finally relaxed she looked down at the man beneath her. Lying there in the late afternoon glow—the biggest, goofiest grin on his face—it finally clicked.

"Oh my god." She whispered, sounding astonished.

Kristoff instantly became concerned with her change of mood, "What? Are you alright?"

"No. Yes. Oh my god. I'm in love with you." Her words were like she was realizing it for the first time.

"Are you sure? It's only been a couple of days, are you sure you don't need more time?" Kristoff's chest was so tight. He didn't want her to feel like she was being pressured into this. He would wait as long as it took.

"I really thought I did but...wow, that's crazy." Anna laughed in disbelief, "I'm in love with you, huh." Like she didn't believe it herself.

"Well don't sound _too_ excited." Kristoff rolled his eyes but he was unable to stop the grin from returning to his lips. Anna gave him her own grin in return. And that was the best night they had had together.

* * *

Their mini-vacation to Yellowstone had ended far sooner than they had liked. But the few days together transformed their relationship more than either would have guessed. As they drove back to Living Rock, their conversation turned to Kristoff's past.

"Do you remember anything before living with your parents?" Anna was turned towards him, her legs curled beneath her. He had only mentioned life before Cliff and Bulda once, months ago.

Kristoff was silent for a moment, "Bits and pieces, like flashes of an old movie. It's hard to know if they're even real." Anna stayed silent. "I remember school the most. I have some images of running out at recess or this one field trip we took to the aquarium. But besides that...I remember being hungry. And cold." He continued, "My parents avoid the subject like the plague so that tells me whatever I lived through wasn't...good. So I guess I'm thankful that I don't remember it."

"Your parents are amazing." Anna smiled warmly when Kristoff looked over to her.

"They think you're pretty great too." That only widened Anna's grin.

Comfortable silence filled the truck's cabin. Then Kristoff's phone vibrated in the cup holder, signifying a text message. "Will you check that for me?"

"'Happy Holidays buddy! Just got off the phone with Tampa, they're sending out their guy to your home opener. St. Louis will be there too.' From Destin Mattias."

Kristoff only responded with a simple, "Hmm."

"Are you going to tell me who Destin Mattias is?" Anna wondered.

"He's my agent." Kristoff replied nonchalantly.

"You have an _agent_?" Anna's head reeled back.

"Of course. Did you think I was just bullshitting all that stuff about the draft?" Kristoff's eyebrow furrowed but he kept looking at the road.

"Oh...well uh...no?"

"I'm not just a pretty face there Anna." He laughed now.

"Wait so then-...Tampa as in the Tampa Bay Rays? And the St. Louis Cardinals?"

"Yup."

"Wow that's huge! Wait, isn't it? You don't seem as excited as I am." Anna's voice lost its enthusiasm as her thought finished.

"No, it's great. I have just learned it's better to stay even keeled about this kind of stuff. It's business. When my name is called on draft day _then_ I'll be excited."

"Wow that's...refreshing." Anna sat back in astonishment.

"What do you mean?" Confusion coloring Kristoff's features.

"My ex...was _obsessed_ with being drafted. The scouts, the 20-80 scale..." Anna paused before she smiled at Kristoff, "So for you to be so level-headed about it, it's just..._nice_." Kristoff reached across the console to grab Anna's hand.

"I was drafted out of high school so maybe that's why." Anna was thankful he always knew how to read her when they hit a touchy subject.

"Oooh, tell me more." Anna leaned over the armrest, interest bright on her face (Hans easily forgotten).

Kristoff laughed at her attention, "Yeah in like the 28th round or something like that. Obviously I opted for Arendelle instead. So that means I'm eligible for the draft again this summer."

"Well let's hope that you go a little higher this time around." Anna mumbled teasingly. Kristoff snickered and then reached for her side to tickle her. She squealed and laughed at his attempt.

"Hey! Ok ok I'm sorry!" Anna laughed some more, "So do you have any idea what round you _might_ go?"

"From the interest I'm getting, Mattias said he would be surprised if I _didn't_ go in the first or second round."

"Oh ok, so that's like _big time_." Anna wanted to sound casual but the idea of Kristoff making it to the major leagues was surreal.

That's when she realized Kristoff wasn't going to be at Arendelle University next year. And the probability of him being drafted to the Colorado Rockies was 1 in 30, not the best odds. Hell even if he _was_ drafted to the Rockies, he would have to go through the minor leagues first and who knows where those teams were located. The joyous smile slowly drifted from Anna's face. A number of thoughts ran through her head-Would he dump her after he was drafted? Would they try long distance? He had broken up with his first girlfriend because of that exact thing. Could she handle a boyfriend who played professional baseball all around the country? He would be so busy, he wouldn't have time for her...and she didn't want to distract him from making it to the Majors.

She had just come to realize her feelings for him and now their relationship had a six month expiration date.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: If you are not familiar with college softball/baseball and how the NCAA World Series works, my apologies. I played in college (in America) so this all is common knowledge to me. I'm trying to simplify it but I'm sure it can be confusing if you don't come from that background.

* * *

Chapter 13

Kristoff made Anna happy. And because of that she blocked out any negative thoughts about their future after Draft Day. Finding a therapist helped. It took a few sessions for Anna to fully open up but once she did, Dr. Yelena really helped right her mind. Every morning was like a new weight was lifted off Anna's shoulders. She slept better, she laughed more and she was really starting to feel like her old self.

Spring quickly approached and before Anna knew it, it was May, Arendelle Softball was ranked 10th by the NCAA and was hosting a Regional tournament at The Stables.

Between classes, softball practice and games, supporting the baseball team _and_ trying to spend quality time with Kristoff, Anna was surprised she was still able to get enough sleep every night. It was no wonder she blinked and finals were over. They had finished the week before and now Arendelle's campus was dead with summer officially started. But this was Anna's favorite time of year-no school, just softball. It made playing feel way more relaxed...and left a couple hours each lay to lazy around in bed with one of MLB's top prospects.

Friday was the start of the 'Arendelle Regionals' as the casters on ESPN were calling it. A four team, double elimination tournament, with the winner moving onto Super Regionals. Arendelle University was joined by Fordham University, Mississippi State and Seattle University. With Arendelle being the only team nationally ranked out of the four, they were the clear favorite to advance.

Friday afternoon they faced off against the Fordham Rams from New York State. This was Anna's first time being a part of a big NCAA event. ESPN camera crews were set up and World Series banners covered virtually everything. They even got special patches sewed onto their uniform sleeves. It was a big deal. She wasn't nervous. And she would deny it if anyone saw her hands shaking while she laced up her cleats. When the announcer called the starting line up, Anna calmed herself and focused on the task at hand. It was just like any other game she had played.

Kristoff, Flynn and Naveen shirtless, with their chests painted, helped.

Arendelle won 2-0.

Saturday, Arendelle played Mississippi State who had beat Seattle University the day before. The scouting report said they were the more difficult opponent, compared to Fordham, but Anna's team had no issues and walked away with a 6-1 victory. Kristoff lost his voice from cheering so loud.

Sunday. _Championship Sunday_. Arendelle just had to win one more game and they were moving on to the next step in their hunt for the World Series trophy. Mississippi State had to go through the 'losers' bracket' and eliminate the other two teams before they had another shot at the Arendelle Aggies. The nerves were long gone now and Anna was just itching to get on the field. Kristoff and the boys had become a spectacle in the stands and were even featured on Sportscenter the night before. (Kristoff being a highly sought after draft pick contributed to the story.)

Sunday's game against Mississippi State was even easier than the previous one and with an 8-0 victory, Arendelle was moving onto Super Regionals.

Those were scheduled for the next weekend. The team had to fly to Minneapolis to play the #7 ranked University of Minnesota. Because they were ranked higher than Arendelle, U of M got home field advantage. But Anna was confident in her team's talent. This series was best of three, the winner moving onto the World Series in Oklahoma City.

"_I will buy your plane ticket. And Flynn's and Naveen's! Please, the girls would be so excited."_

"_You know I would be there in a heartbeat but Coach is refusing to let us go. With our own Regional tournament coming up he's not giving up any extra practice days."_

The Arendelle girls would have to win this one without their biggest cheerleaders.

Friday the girls lost 5-3. Anna had played well, she even went 2 for 3 but Minnesota hit a big homerun in the bottom of the 6th inning and that put them ahead to win.

Saturday, Arendelle answered back and Merida threw a complete game shutout. They won 1-0 in a nail biter.

There they were, another Championship Sunday. They were one game away from a plane ticket to OKC and the Softball World Series. The picture of Kristoff, sitting in his living room, chest painted navy and white was the only thing calming the bone shaking nerves Anna was feeling.

The game had started well. Anna had gotten on first base, stolen second and then scored on a ball hit in the gap. It was a close play at home plate but Anna had gotten in before the catcher tagged her. Aredelle was up 1-0. Two innings later, Minnesota scored putting them ahead 2-1. When the 7th inning started the game was tied at 3-3. They had to go to extra innings until there was a winner. That's when being the home team had the biggest advantage. Minnesota won on a walk-off single up the middle. Anna had dove for it but not even Kristoff could have gotten to that ball. The girls from Minnesota's dugout stormed the field and tackled the player who had hit the game winning run in. That left Arendelle to walk off the field, their season coming to an abrupt end.

Silent tears rolled down Anna's cheeks as she packed up her equipment. The senior girls were bawling loudly and Anna's heart broke for them. They were _done_ done. That was their last game _ever_. At least Anna, Rapunzel and Tiana had next year. If there was solace in anything, it was that.

The flight back home was somber. Most of the team kept to themselves, it didn't feel right to enjoy themselves until the mourning period was over. When Anna got back to campus, Kristoff was there to pick her up. He held up her luggage and she cried into his chest. He took her back to his apartment and she stayed in his bed for almost a full 24 hours. He knew her well enough now to know that she just needed time. She didn't need him fawning over her and trying to make her feel happy again. She could get there on her own. This was just how she did it. And after a day passed, Anna felt better. She went back to The Palace and reminisced with her roommates.

Moana and Merida were heading home for the summer the next day but Rapunzel, Tiana and Anna were sticking around to watch the boys play. Now that the softball season was over, they could put all their energy into supporting the men's team and _their_ road to the Baseball World Series.

Anna was not painting her chest though.

For the first time in school history, both the softball and baseball programs hosted Regional tournaments at Arendelle. It was nice that the guys tournament didn't start until the week after the girls returned from Minnesota so Anna had plenty of time to decompress from the season.

May 29th was a big day. Not only was it the start of the men's Regional tournament but it was also the day they were announcing the Golden Spikes Award finalists. Anna had never even heard of the award until Flynn brought it up.

"_It's like winning an Oscar...but for baseball. USA Baseball picks the best player in the country. It's a _huge_ deal! And a pretty good indicator of who's going to be the number one overall draft pick in June."_

Anna woke up that morning and the first thing she did was check to see who the four finalists were. When she opened the award's website, there was Kristoff's face grinning back at her. She squealed and kicked her covers off her. She then fired off a text message to Kristoff that was just a bunch of different emojis. He understood the sentiment. He reminded her that the winner wouldn't be announced for another two weeks, right before the draft.

_Right before the draft._

The joy slowly deflated out of Anna's chest as she sat back down on her bed. She had done such a good job of compartmentalizing Kristoff _not_ being at Arendelle University next year that she didn't even realize it was only two weeks away. The discussions about scouts and contracts and signing bonuses had steadily increased as the baseball season went on, and Anna listened to all of it with great interest. She wanted Kristoff to get the best deal possible and his agent, Mattias, was making sure of that.

Anna never thought she would see her boyfriend's face all over Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight. It was all so surreal. Maybe that's why it hadn't really hit her yet. Or maybe it was the fact that her and Kristoff had yet to actually _discuss_ their plans for after the draft. At this point it was inevitable that he was going to be playing professional baseball once Arendelle's season was over. But what did that mean for _them_?

Before she could stew on the possible answers to that question, Rapunzel was bursting into her room, "HE'S A FINALIST!"

* * *

The Stables were already lively by the time Tiana, Rapunzel and Anna got there. The two other teams in the tournament had finished their game earlier that day but Anna hadn't looked into who those teams actually were. What she _did_ know was that the boys were playing UC Santa Barbara that afternoon. The stadium was packed. Even though it was summer vacation, many students stuck around to watch the men's team try and make history. UC Santa Barbara wasn't _too_ far away from Colorado so there were quite a few of their fans in the seats as well. Mostly parents, but some from the younger generation as well.

Thankfully, Tiana had done a work study with the Arendelle Athletic Department and was able to secure great seats right above the home dugout. The girls found their seats and started to set up their 'areas'. The girls pulled out sunflower seeds, gatorade bottles, water, sunblock and their posters. They had clearly come prepared.

"Ok ok, show me what yours say." Tiana said and she held her rolled up poster board to her chest. Rapunzel grinned and unrolled her neon poster to reveal the words '#33 Will you marry me?' Both Tiana and Anna burst into a fit of giggles, "Ok yours might be the winner Blondie."

"No! Show me yours!" Rapunzel exclaimed.

Tiana finally revealed her blue poster that had a realistic outline of a catcher in a squat and the words 'Thou shalt not steal'. Both Anna and Rapunzel complimented her on the drawing. "Anna your turn!"

Anna grimaced and flipped her bright pink poster around. 'No glove no love'. "You didn't!" Tiana yelled and all three girls laughed loudly, gathering attention from the crowd around them.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Chris Buck Stadium, home of Arendelle Baseball. In today's Regional match up the Aggies take on the visiting UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to meet the starting lineups for today's game. First, for the visiting Santa Barbara Gauchos..." Anna tuned out the unfamiliar names as she and her roommates settled into their seats.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen it's time to meet the starting line up for the 2020 Arendelle Aggies!" The animated man in the sound booth paused as the majority of the crowd cheered for their team. An energetic beat played in the background as the announcer started again, "Leading off, in center field, number 14 Aladdin Ababwa. Batting second, the second baseman, number 20, Eric Sailor. Batting third, at first base, number 12, John Smith. Batting fourth, at shortstop, number 27 Kristoff Bjorgman."

Anna screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Batting fifth, and doing the catching, number 2, Naveen Maldonia." This time it was Tiana's turn to scream.

"Batting sixth, the third baseman, number 6, Shang Li. Batting seventh, the left fielder, number 3, Adam Evermore. Batting eighth, the right fielder, number 17, Phillip Hubert. And batting ninth, the pitcher, number 33 Flynn Rider." All three girls whooped and hollered as Flynn was the last player to exit the dugout. Just as all the previous guys had done before him, he jogged over to the umpires to fist bump them, and then proceeded down the first base line. Most of Flynn's handshakes with his teammates were simple but when he got to Kristoff and Naveen the girls laughed at the elaborate moves the three did.

After the national anthem, the Aggies took the field. "Hey guys, watch my stuff? I'm just gonna run to the bathroom real quick." Anna jogged up the stadium stairs to the bathroom she knew of behind the announcer's booth. Hopefully the line wasn't too long, she didn't want to miss anything. As she walked around the corner, she was glad to see no one around. But before she could pull open the heavy door to the women's restroom, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

Anna's hand was frozen on the long metal handle of the door. She wanted to open it. She wanted to go in there, use the bathroom, wash her hands and go back to her seat. She wanted to watch Kristoff play. But her body wouldn't move. Her brain was _screaming_ to move, that this wasn't real, just open the door. After what felt like an eternity, Anna's bicep flexed and she pulled the restroom door towards her, intent to go inside. But the door only made it about five inches before a hand above her head was slamming it closed again, jerking the handle from her grip.

Instinctively, Anna whirled around. And there he stood.

"Wha- what are you doing here?" Her brain was still not convinced that Hans Westergaard was _actually_ standing in front of her-hand above her, holding the door shut, effectively boxing her in. Her eyes raced across his face, trying to determine if it really was him. Dark red hair, cold green eyes, slender face and a mean smirk on his thin lips.

"Gotta scout the team we're playing tomorrow." His voice was smooth as his eyes ran down her figure. Anna curled in on herself as his eyes lingered on her snug tank top. That's when she noticed his University of the Southern Isles Baseball shirt he wore. _No_.

"I heard you ended up here. Was hoping I would run into you." Hans's free hand traced up her bare arm before it found a loose piece of her auburn hair. He twirled it around his index finger gently. Anna visibly flinched and tried to side step away from him and the bathroom door. Anticipating her move, Hans's hand above her shot down to her bicep, squeezing it. Fear sent an icy chill down Anna's spine as he held her in place.

"How about you and I get out of here? Ya know, just like old times?" Hans leaned in, his wicked smirk only widening. Before he could get any closer, Anna struck his wrist with the heel of her opposite hand and forcefully yanked her arm out of his grip (thank you self-defense tutorials on youtube). Without looking back she sprinted for the nearest exit. The last thing she heard before her brain shut down was Hans's loud laughter.

When Anna's eyes refocused, she easily recognized her surroundings. She was about half of a mile from the stadium and still running. She had left her bag in her seat with her phone, car _and_ house keys in it. But she knew where Kristoff kept his spare.

She didn't stop running until she was standing at the entrance of his apartment complex.

Hidden under the left garden gnome, Anna took the key and unlocked the front door. The apartment was silent, the afternoon light casting the place in an eerie glow. But Anna didn't care. Her body went straight to Kristoff's room down the hall. She didn't take any time appreciating the tidiness of his room or even his nicely made bed. She just kicked off her shoes and crawled under his covers. They smelled just like him and Anna let his scent surround her as she stared up at the ceiling.

She didn't know how long she laid there. The shadows were the only thing that moved around her. It had to have been hours because now Kristoff was barging into his apartment screaming her name.

"Anna?! Anna! Let me check my room. Oh fucking hell, thank god. Yeah she's here Rider. Tell the girls I've got her. Yeah. I'll text you later. Bye." Kristoff shoved his phone in his back pocket and squatted by his bed. "Anna, what the hell? The girls said you disappeared and left all your stuff at the field. We've all been worried sick." Kristoff's voice was quiet but the worry was obvious.

"Hans was at the game." Anna spoke slowly, finding comfort in Kristoff's warm amber eyes. She had never explicitly told Kristoff his name.

"Hans? Who's- ..._your ex?_" Kristoff's eyes widened.

"I didn't know Southern Isles was in your Regionals. I went to the bathroom and he-"

"Did he hurt you? I swear to _god_ I will _fucking-_" Rage overtook all aspects of Kristoff's demenour before Anna interrupted him.

"He- he grabbed me, but I got away. I just ran. I didn't have my keys but I knew I would be safe here." Annd, still lying in his bed, rolled over to fully face him. Kristoff still wore his dirt stained uniform. _She had missed his game. _But despite his attire, Kristoff laid next to Anna, pulling her to her chest. She signed at the contact and her body easily relaxed into him. The smell from his game reminded her she missed one of the few games he had left. And her chest stabbed at that revelation, "How did you guys do?" She mumbled into his chest.

"11-2, they sucked."

"And you?"

"4 for 5 with two home runs."

"And the scouts?"

"Met with the Yankees and Astros. And San Francisco was there again, they're really pushing hard."

"The Bay Area is nice."

"Anna," Kristoff paused until she looked at him, "Tell me how I can help you."

"You're doing it. I'll be ok soon."

* * *

AN: This quarantine is really getting to me. I don't know how we're going to make it another month... Hope you're staying sane and healthy!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Anna awoke in her own bed the next morning. She felt surprisingly refreshed after a dreamless sleep. But the dread was lingering in the recesses of her mind.

"_Stay here tonight. I don't care about our rule. Just…" Kristoff pleaded with her. He had long since showered and joined her in his bed. But now she was getting up to return to The Palace and her roommates. They never spent the night together before a game._

"_I should really check in with the girls to let them know I'm alright. Trust me. Plus I don't want to be the reason you're unfocused tomorrow."_

_Kristoff knew even if Anna left, his mind would be filled with nothing but her. "We play _them_ tomorrow. I will set up the live stream for you here so you can watch and we can meet up after." _

_Anna turned, face hard, "No. That fuckface doesn't control me. I'm going and I can't wait to watch you kick his ass." _

Anna had of course meant that figuratively. Although the thought of Kristoff knocking Hans out did appeal to her darker side.

* * *

Arendelle University was scheduled to play University of Southern Isles that morning at eleven o'clock. Kristoff didn't know how he had navigated through his morning routine or even warm-ups. Because all of his energy was focused on _not_ punching the ever loving shit out of USI's third baseman, Hans Westergaard. Guess that spoke to his advanced muscle memory.

The game was in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kristoff was up to bat and he needed to get to third base. All of his previous attempts had failed and he was running out of patience. Then he got the perfect pitch and hit a ball deep in the gap. Now he was standing on second, hoping for something to get him to third. That's when the catcher bobbled the next pitch and Kristoff stole the base. The throw had been close but there was no doubt that Kristoff slid in before the tag.

Anticipation coursed through Kristoff as he was bent over on the bag. He was dusting some of the dirt from his pants when he heard, "Nice hit man." Hans's words were casual.

"Fuck you." Kristoff grounded out, teeth clenched. He kept his body neutral so as not to draw any attention to their exchange. As the Southern Isles pitcher readied himself to throw the next ball to Naveen, Kristoff took a small lead off of the base. He kept his body facing the rest of the field, and Hans in particular.

Hans didn't look _too_ taken aback with his words but snorted out, "Ok fuck you too then." The USI pitcher threw a breaking ball to Naveen in the batter's box. The umpire called it a strike.

"I've heard of you Westergaard. Worst ball player out of all your brothers? Biggest bitch at Southern Isles too." Kristoff barely recognized his own voice. His blood was boiling just looking at this fucker's face and he could feel his blunt nails cutting into his palms. Hans was standing near the base in case his catcher tried to pick off Kristoff. He remained silent but Kristoff saw the tell-tale tick in the third baseman's jaw.

Kristoff led off again, the pitcher kept looking over at him but Kristoff wasn't worried. He kept his words directed at Hans, "You think you're going to make it to the show? You've got the worst fucking swing I've seen in someone older than 14."

The pitcher threw Naveen a ball outside, he didn't swing.

Kristoff made his way back to third base and sneered at the opposing player, "How did you even make it _on_ the team? Suck the coach's dick? I bet you're good at that, huh? Bet you take it nice and deep in your tight little puss—" Before Kristoff's could finish his crude insult, Hans's hand was balled into a fist and was flying at his face. Kristoff saw it coming and could have easily moved or blocked it. The moment the sucker punch connected with Kristoff's jaw, his helmet flew off. Kristoff back pedaled away from Hans, the blonde's hands in the air in a signal of innocence. He held back his victorious smirk, keeping his role as the victim perfectly in place.

Everything halted in the stadium as all eyes went to the two men. Arendelle's third base coach had been unaware of any of the verbal exchanges until Hans was chucking his glove at Kristoff's retreating form. The coach, quickly reading the situation, stepped between the two players, effectively blocking Hans's next assault. Then chaos erupted. The two benches cleared instantly and dozens of players surged towards the epicenter. Everyone in the crowd started jabbering, no one really knowing what was happening. The umpires and assistant coaches were on the scene breaking apart players as fast as they could. But besides the first punch, no one else made contact.

As the crowd of baseball players parted and returned to their respective dugouts, Kristoff was being 'held back' by one of his assistant coaches near the outfield. In reality, it was just for show. Kristoff wasn't going anywhere. He watched as his head coach was talking animatedly at the three umpires gathered at home plate.

The umpire-in-chief responded and, of course, no one could hear what he had to say. Kristoff's coach stomped back to the dugout and everyone watched as the three officials circled up to discuss the situation. After a minute, the head umpire walked to the phone in the corner of the backstop and picked it up. Kristoff held his breath. The man hung it up, walked towards the Southern Isles dugout, pointed to Hans and then pointed out of the field-the universal sign of being ejected.

Outrage engulfed the visiting team and their fans. Then, the three umpires returned to their field positions, signifying that was the _only_ punishment being handed out and that game play would continue. Of course the Southern Isles coach burst out of his dugout, arguing that Kristoff should also be ejected. But Kristoff knew what that phone call had been. They had video in the upper box. And it clearly showed Hans throwing the first and only punch while Kristoff threw his hands up in innocence.

According to the NCAA rules, Hans was suspended for the remainder of this game _and_ the 3 games to follow. Just like Kristoff had planned.

This game was being televised on ESPN 2 and numerous major league scouts were currently in the stands. Being ejected was one thing, being ejected for fighting was a whole nother ball game. Scouts don't take kindly to fighters, they're a liability and bad press. That's the quickest way to get black balled in the MLB. And this clip would be on a loop on Baseball Tonight along with all the online outlets. Hans's baseball career was done for.

* * *

From the time Anna had arrived at The Stables, her nerves were on edge. She tried every technique her therapist had taught her to calm down but they were all falling short. Nothing had prepared her to watch the man she loved play fucking _baseball_ against her abuser. She was nervous Kristoff wouldn't be able to focus because of her shit. But what terrified her was the possibility of Kristoff doing something to Hans. The draft was so close and nothing was written in stone until he signed that contract. She just prayed that the two men never came close to each other. But then Kristoff stole third.

Any other player would have stayed at second when USI's catcher bobbled the ball. It could barely even be considered a bobble, but Kristoff had a great read and took advantage. It was stuff like that that major league scouts loved to see. But Anna's stomach turned horribly. She could see the intensity Kristoff had been playing with since he stepped on the field. And now, with Hans near him, Anna feared Kristoff would snap.

Anna watched intently as Hans said something to Kristoff. It looked friendly enough. Every team knew who Kristoff was and it wasn't unusual for opposing players to chat with him in the field. And Hans wouldn't have known he was Anna's boyfriend so she wouldn't have to worry about Hans trying to manipulate Kristoff in any way. What she _was_ worried about was the tension coming off of Kristoff in waves. The guilt stabbed at her chest. If Kristoff did something irrational to Hans because of _her_, he would lose all hope of making it to the league. And she couldn't handle that. She silently pleaded that he could keep his cool.

And then it happened. It was so fast.

One second the Southern Isles pitcher was getting the signs from his catcher, the next Hans had decked Kristoff in the face and the field was in utter chaos. Anna's brain did not compute. _Hans_ had punched Kristoff? Hans had punched _Kristoff_! Holy shit.

Anna stood from her seat, Rapunzel and Tiana quickly copying her. Anna watched everything unfold and she didn't return to her chair until Kristoff was standing on third base again, a new player substituting in for Hans and Naveen resumed his at bat. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it never did. Naveen hit a sacrifice fly to right field and Kristoff easily tagged up and scored.

When he jogged back to his dugout, Anna watched him in awe. Just before he went down the steps, Kristoff removed his helmet, looked up at Anna and gave her a knowing wink.

_Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. _He had done it on purpose.

When realization showed clear on Anna's face, Kristoff smirked and held his index finger to his lips, as if telling her it was their little secret. Anna was glad she was seated because she felt light headed.

Hans was escorted out of the stadium, Kristoff played an amazing game and Arendelle went on to beat Southern Isles 9-3. The next day Arendelle won again to advance to Super Regionals.

* * *

AN: Feelin guilty about the length of this one. I didn't really want to end this chapter here but idk I had nothing else. I went through my outlines for the rest of this story and it's looking like it's going to be 21 chapters long. The last 'chapter' might just be a short epilogue though. Reviews always help with my motivation!


	15. Chapter 15

AN: tbh Past Me did not want to write this but HEY its done…and long as fuck if I do say so myself. Sorry for the extended wait time but quarantine is fucking me up.

* * *

Chapter 15

_**Friday, June 5th**_

If there was a downside to a weekend filled with games it was that Anna didn't get to spend the night at Kristoff's place. They had created this rule before their seasons had started-that the night before a game, they had to sleep in their own beds. Some age old superstition about sex throwing off your mojo or zapping your testosterone levels or some bullshit. Each of them had wanted to breach the agreement multiple times during the season, but they always held strong. But standing in the field for the first game of this Super Regional series, Kristoff wished he _did_ have a little less energy. He woke up feeling _off_ and the feeling had only magnified as the day went on.

They were hosting Texas Tech for a best of three series, the winner moving onto Omaha, Nebraska for the College World Series. This was the biggest game of Kristoff's life up until now. That, culminating with the Golden Spikes Award announcement and the Draft both less than a week away, Kristoff felt like he was jumping out of his skin. He didn't get nervous, he was Kristoff _fucking_ Bjorgman-top ten MLB prospect, two-time All-American (soon to be three), leading the country in RBIs. Then why the _fuck_ were his hands shaking so bad?

It was only the third inning but his game was totally off. He had struck out looking his first at bat (something he _rarely_ did) and then he bobbled a routine ground ball in the field. The runner ended up safe at first base and Kristoff had doubled him up the next batter but _still, _it was written as an error in the scorebook. Logically, Kristoff knew one error wasn't going to hurt his chances in this game or even the Draft but, fuck, he couldn't shake it.

Kristoff had had plenty of shitty games in his career, but there was something different about this season. He was on fire. He felt untouchable. Of course he wanted to believe it was him just maturing as a ball player and just finding a good groove but...fuck he couldn't help but think it was because he was actually _happy_ for the first time in a long time. His entire focus was no longer on _just_ baseball. Which was ironic because he had always been afraid of something distracting him from his ultimate goal. But he felt lighter this season. And he was actually able to enjoy his free time.

In the past, Krisotff would obsess over statistics or scouting schedules (even though he wouldn't be eligible for the Draft until this year). And when he needed a stress reliever he could easily find that at a party. There were plenty of girls who would hang off of him for the night, who would laugh at his jokes and rub up against him, hinting at something more. Kristoff fooled around with enough girls and had even dated the one last year, but it was never...fulfilling. The relationship had been easy, and superficial and helped pass the time but when she cheated on him it wasn't _that_ big of a deal. Sure it hurt his pride but it's not like he was going to propose to her or anything.

This year was different. _He_ was different. And he couldn't help but think that a certain red head was to thank for that. He loved her. _Fuuuuck_ he loved her. And it was crazy to have something in his life that was more precious to him than baseball. Baseball was fine, a given. Kristoff had been doing it long enough that it came easy to him. Going through the motions, using that muscle memory. Guess that's the sign of a seasoned athlete. But with Anna...he could never get tired of her. Kristoff had not expected that at all. When he asked for her number and she said no, it had of course intrigued him (there was that pride again). And she didn't fawn over him, she didn't take his shit. Kristoff always loved a challenge. It didn't help that she was fucking gorgeous too.

Kristoff never had any expectations for him and Anna. Maybe she would just be something to pass the time until one of them got bored. But if there was one thing Anna was _not_, it was boring. And Kristoff's intrigue slowly turned into infatuation. She started consuming his thoughts in class and at practice. He checked his phone constantly to see if she had texted him. And then he kissed her and he was a goner. He fell quick and he fell hard. Kristoff had no idea how he waited so long to tell her he loved her. But he wanted it to be special and thank god because it had been the best night of his life.

Followed by one of the worst mornings of his life.

It was still hard to think about now, months later. Anna looked so small in that bath tub, utterly broken. Kristoff would have given anything to fix it for her at that moment, but he knew he couldn't. One person didn't deserve all that hurt, that trauma. Hearing her recount everything to him was emotionally exhausting but she came away stronger. Kristoff didn't know how she did it, where her strength came from. And, somehow, his love for her only multiplied. Shit, he didn't even know that was possible. And _then_ she said she loved him too.

Ok, no, _that_ was the best night of his life.

Kristoff grinned thinking of the memory. Anna's body wrapped around him, squeezing him with every thrust. Keens and pants filling the old cabin around them. And then when their bodies reach their peaks, she whispered those three words to him. Kristoff was glad his face had been buried into Anna's neck because he was sure she would have teased him for getting misty-eyed.

Between pitches, Kristoff looked to the stands to where he knew Anna was sitting. Her auburn hair was braided down her back and covered by a vintage Arendelle baseball hat. She wore a fitted white shirt and distressed jean shorts. She was laughing at something Tiana said and, shit, it still amazed him how beautiful she was. And then she looked at him. Her smile faltered for a second but then it grew even wider. She scrunched up her little nose and winked at him. And all his nerves faded away. He could make twenty more errors, but as long as Anna looked at him like _that_, he would be fine.

Arendelle won 3-1.

* * *

_**Saturday, June 6th **_

"Anna! Hello!"

Anna finished screwing the cap onto her water bottle as she turned towards the unfamiliar voice. There, walking towards her, was a handsome, black man with a perfectly crafted goatee. If it hadn't been for the gray hair at his temples, Anna would have thought he was easily in his early 40s. As he approached, Anna had to look up at him and quirked her brow, "Hello…?"

The stranger caught the look quickly, "Oh I'm sorry, this is probably weird. We haven't actually met, I'm Destin Mattias. I'm-"

Recognition washed over Anna's features, "Kristoff's agent! Of course!" She visibly relaxed and smiled up at the older man, "It's so nice to meet you. I've heard great things about you from him and his parents."

Mattias smiled and Anna admired his perfect teeth, "He's a good kid. I'm excited for his future but I'm sure you are too. You might be living in Seattle or Miami come next spring! Though I'm sure Miami's weather is preferrable, huh?" Mattias laughed.

"Oh- um, well actually..." Mattias gave her a confused look, "I'll be coming back here for my senior year so…"

"Oh! Oh of course! Kristoff mentioned you play softball. But, you know, _after_ that."

Anna smiled hoping it didn't look too much like a grimace. She was unsure of what to say, "Hmm. Will I be seeing you at the draft party Wednesday?"

"Nah, I'll be back in my office in Denver. Didn't want to put _too_ much pressure on Bjorgman with all the phone calls I'll be getting."

"Yeah, of course. Well it was so nice to finally meet you but I should be getting back to my friends." Anna jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. Mattias nodded and waved his goodbye.

As Anna walked down the stairs of the stadium to her seat, she thought of the Draft. It was only four days away now. It had been five months since Anna had learned of Mattias and realized Kristoff's plans for next year. In those five months Krisoff and Anna had had plenty of conversations about the scouting process and where he was ranked and even what teams he hoped to be drafted to. But not once had they discussed what _they_ were going to do next year.

_Not_ having that discussion made Anna fear for the worst. And why hadn't they? They had talked about literally everything else-dead parents, cheating ex, MIA sister, abusive boyfriend, traumatic foster systems! But this was the first and only big thing that was _just_ about them.

The thought of losing Kristoff sent pin pricks down her arms and the pain pooled in her wrists. Dr. Yelena told her it was the built up tension in her neck and shoulders. Anna tried to relax them but her brain concentrated on the pain as if it was revelling in it. It had been months since she felt sadness that was physically painful. But now…

What she had with Kristoff was something she never thought she _would_ have. Something she never thought she _deserved_. After Hans, Anna's mind couldn't even fathom the idea of someone truly loving her. But now, Anna felt warm and safe and cherished, but even more so he made her feel strong and confident and independent. The last one really threw her. Anna had been on her own for so long that the loneliness had burrowed so deep into her it seemed unmovable. And she feared she would put all her self-worth into this relationship. But somehow, it was the opposite. The way Kristoff treated her, and supported her, made her feel assured in _herself_. And although the thought of losing him hurt, she knew she would be ok eventually. It would be the true test of her self-efficacy.

Anna couldn't imagine hating Kristoff. If and when they ended what they had, she knew it would be on good terms. Silver lining and all that. So until that time came, whether it was in four days or four months, Anna would put on a smile, cheer her head off and support Kristoff achieving his wildest dreams.

Arendelle won 5-2 and the entire team dog piled on the pitcher's mound. Tiana was screeching like a madwoman and Rapunzel was actually crying. Anna just stood, with the biggest grin on her face and watched Kristoff hug every guy around him. He lost his hat somewhere and his blonde locks were pushed back out of his face from the Gatorade shower poured from the big orange buckets.

He was glowing. And Anna's heart soared for him. It was all so exciting and amazing and he deserved it.

* * *

_**Sunday, June 7th**_

"You sure you still want to hike today?" Kristoff said gruffly into Anna's hair as his arm tightened around her bare midsection.

"Hmm-mm" She mumbled back even though her eyes remained closed.

"We could just stay in bed and…" Kristoff's palm slid up to cup Anna's bare breast while his teeth raked down the side of her neck. Reactively, Anna arched her back and pressed her rear into his stiff groin. "You're going to need all that stamina for the eight miles we've got today, Bjorgman."

Kristoff's body recoiled, "Eight miiiles? I thought it was my day off?" he whined.

Anna took that opportunity to slide out of his bed, missing his warmth instantly, "It's called a _active rest_ golden boy!" she teased as she walked to the bathroom in just her underwear.

Being outside was Anna's favorite place to be with Kristoff...but then she remembered how they had _celebrated_ his victory the night before and… Ok so 'outside' was for sure top two.

Yellowstone was the first time they did any type of adventuring together. And then, when the spring athletics season started, they weren't able to get out as much. But, on the rare days they _were_ able to, Anna knew it was something to be cherished. Colorado was beautiful in so many different ways. Kristoff fit in nicely here, clearly having grown up exploring the Montana wilderness. But it was something Anna had to learn. Maybe that's why she held it so close to her heart. It had been something she mastered all on her own. After her parents died and Hans, backpacking through the North Mountains was her first form of therapy.

Now, with Kristoff, it was something much different. Instead of relying only on herself and her complete isolation, Anna enjoyed ebbing between companionable silence and light hearted conversation with him. _What does your dream house look like? What's on your bucket list? Rank all the Toy Story movies from best to worst._

The Bear Peak Trail was about thirty minutes from Kristoff's apartment. The Alltrails app said it was a 'difficult' eight mile hike. But Anna was confident in their ability and knew it wouldn't take them more than five hours to complete. The trail started out pretty easy. The path was well maintained as this was a pretty popular hike. They were making good time, averaging about seventeen minutes for the first couple of miles. But as the trail progressed deeper, the elevation increased, along with the difficulty. And there were even a few spots where it became a little more technical that Anna had anticipated. But the scenery was well worth it. From the start of the hike there was plenty of beauty to admire. Vast meadows, countless wild flowers and towering evergreens. Kristoff's favorite was the rocky boulders. Some of them were huge and he just _had_ to try and climb each one they came across.

The last mile was by far the most difficult of the four to the top and Anna and Kristoff were silent besides the exasperated grunts and heavy breathing trying to reach the summit. In those last thirty minutes Anna's mind went back to the Draft. Fuck, she really didn't want to think about it but it was literally the only thing her mind defaulted back to the second it had a chance.

_Fuck fuck fuck. This is so fucking stupid. Just _ask_ him. Why don't you just ask him? He will be honest. He's _always_ honest. 'Hey Kristoff, can we talk about what's gonna happen with us after the Draft?' Just say it. When you get to the top, just say that. 'Hey, I think we should discuss what our future is going to look like.' Great. Yes. That sounds great. _

Kristoff was farther ahead of Anna and he reached the summit first. When she finally crested the last part of the trail to reach him, she was struck with the breathtaking panoramic view in front of her. And then Kristoff turned back, grinning at her. His stupid gorgeous grin and her chest hurt as the words screamed in her mind.

Kristoff's smile faltered for a moment as Anna came closer, "You ok?"

_Say it. Say it. Fucking say it. _"Yeah. That last bit just kinda got me." _Fucking coward._

Kristoff knew Anna was lying. She had been _off_ the last few weeks. But he hugged her from behind not mentioning it, "I love being out here with you. There's nothing better."

Anna's eyes unfocused and she willed herself not to cry.

* * *

_**Monday, June 8th**_

"Tia? Rapunzel? Are you guys home?" Anna slammed The Palace front door shut and waited in the entry. Both girls' cars were in the driveway but she wanted to make sure.

"In here!" Tiana called from the kitchen. Anna smiled and shook her fists in front of her chest to silence her excitement.

"Hey guys…" Anna drawled out. Tiana gave her a suspicious look while Rapunzel seemed clueless, "Hey girl, what's up?"

"I have a surprise for you guys." Anna grinned widely and shook her shoulders at her friends.

"Ooo do we get to guess? Are you pregnant?" Rapunzel asked, far more excited than she should have been.

"What the fuck? No!" Anna's giddiness disappeared at the horrific idea. Tiana only laughed. "Oh my god. Just- here." Anna rolled her eyes and slapped two envelopes on the kitchen counter. Each girl tore open their letter and were silent while they registered what was inside them. Flights and hotel accommodations to Omaha, Nebraska for the College Baseball World Series.

"Holy fucking shit. No WAY!" Tiana's voice grew louder with each word.

"Aw Anna this is so sweet! You didn't have to do this. We were totally ok with driving." Rapunzel moved towards her auburn haired roommate and hugged her.

"Anna this is amazing. Thank you so much!" Tiana came around the island and hugged the two already in an embrace.

The three had discussed driving to the tournament but the eight hour car ride was going to be an annoyance. It wasn't _terribly_ far but the eighty minute plane ride would be a lot better.

Even if (when) Kristoff was drafted, he would still complete his season with the Aggies. Anna could indulge in a few extra moments with him and support him on the biggest platform for college baseball before he left.

* * *

_**Tuesday, June 9th**_

The Golden Spikes Awards were airing on ESPN2 at 4:30pm PST. That was 5:30pm Colorado time. The event was in Omaha, Nebraska. Just like the World Series. But with Arendelle still practicing for the Series and the Draft the next day, Kristoff opted out of attending the ceremony. That wasn't really typical of nominees but Kristoff didn't care. He had a feeling that if he _was_ going to win, the award's Board of Directors would have pressured him into attending a little more.

And because he didn't think he was going to win, he didn't want to make a big deal out of watching the announcement. Cliff and Bulda were coming to town in anticipation for the Draft the next day but Kristoff told them not to bother with the Gold Spikes Award. Anna knew they didn't care if he won or not, they just wanted to be with him. But they respected his request and went to check in at their hotel instead. Anna was sure they would watch it there. The four were going to dinner after the airing, win or lose. Although it sounded clique, it really was an honor just to be nominated. Being one of the top four college players in America was a _huge_ accomplishment.

Kristoff and Anna sat in his apartment with ESPN2 on in the background. Well Anna sat, Kristoff was...doing laundry? The ceremony hadn't started yet but the analysts were setting the stage for it. The two men sat at an arched table and were going through the history of the awards, past winners and the background of each nominee. It was still crazy for Anna to see Kristoff on ESPN. The commentators did a good job when they got to Kristoff, but maybe Anna was biased. He said the guy from Oregon State was the favorite to win.

"It's starting!" Anna yelled from the couch. She felt weird today. Restless. She could tell Kristoff was feeling similarly. She hadn't spent the night the night before so when she arrived there this afternoon it was the first time she saw him that day. He hadn't sat down in two hours. He was actually _cleaning_ his bathroom when she arrived. Which he had literally never done. He was a college boy and...it wasn't pretty. Bless Bulda's heart because she gave it a deep clean whenever she came to town. After the bathroom he moved to vacuuming the carpet and then mopping the kitchen. Now he was onto laundry.

When he walked into his living room area he was holding a dress shirt in one hand and an unplugged iron in his other.

"Is that what you're wearing tomorrow?" Anna asked softly.

"Hmm." Kristoff mumbled, his eyes on the tv screen. He stayed standing, unmoving.

Tomorrow was the real event. Kristoff's coach was opening up the men's clubhouse for a viewing party. The entire baseball team would be there along with some Athletic Department staff, media team and a few other people that cared about Kristoff.

Anna turned back to the television. Her hands were fidgeting with the throw pillow in her lap. The three other nominees sat in chairs in an empty Sportscenter studio. There was a podium in the center with the President of USA Baseball at it. He thanked all the nominees and their families and praised them for their accomplishments and efforts that year. Then he turned back to the camera, "And the winner of the 42nd Golden Spikes Award, from Oregon State, Adley Rutschman."

Kristoff had left the room right when the word 'Oregon' came out of the man's mouth. Anna didn't know what to do. Was he upset? Should she comfort him? Give him space? Kristoff was usually so even keeled and easy to read. This was uncharted territory.

Anna shut off the tv and then gave it a few more minutes before she followed Kristoff back to his room. He was ironing black dress pants now, the button up shirt hanging neatly off the end of the board. Anna paused at the doorway for only a moment, debating her strategy. Then she moved to lay casually on Kristoff's queen sized bed. "So where do you want to go to dinner tonight?" Kristoff snorted humorlessly and kept ironing. When he didn't respond, Anna tried again. "Do you want to talk about it?" Kristoff kept ironing the pants. He had gone over them enough times that Anna knew the action had just turned into something to keep his hands busy. She remained silent.

"I- I don't know. I kind of wanted to win. But Adley deserves it. I don't know. It's just- ...embarrassing to lose."

"Hmm." Anna replied.

Kristoff looked up, slightly annoyed, "Nooo, say what you want to say. Say I'm being stupid. That being top four is huge and no one is going to judge me for not winning. Or that there are plenty of Major Leaguers who didn't win and still went on to have great careers."

"I don't think you're being stupid." Anna paused, "But it seems you hit the nail on the head with everything else." She said teasingly. She was glad to see his lips quirk a little. "If it's any consolation, you were the only _shortstop_ nominee so you're the best there."

Kristoff rolled his eyes trying to hide his smirk, turned the iron off and set it down. As he walked towards the bed, Anna reclined and stretched out her body to accommodate him. She loved the pressure of Kristoff on top of her and her back tingled at the thought. His firm body pressed her into his bed as he nestled between her legs. Anna reached up and pushed some shaggy blonde hair out of his face. She took the time to look over all of his features that made him so handsome. Sometimes she loved to just appreciate his face. His tanned skin, the freckles that were darkening with each passing day in the sun, his bright amber eyes, and his stubble. God she loved his stubble. It was darker than his hair, just like his brows were. And it made him look...was 'mature' the word she was looking for? Maybe. It just worked for him. And the feeling of it rubbing against her thighs when he… Yeah, thank God for stubble.

When Anna finally looked back into his eyes, she knew this was it, "Are we ever going to discuss what's going to happen? With _us_?" She whispered, trying not to ruin the mood between them.

"I-..." Kristoff was clearly taken aback by her words and he pulled back from her slightly. Anna took that as a bad sign but she let him retreat nonetheless.

"Let's just get through tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok." Anna trusted him but she couldn't help the feeling of walls being built up around her heart.

* * *

_**Wednesday, June 10th **_

Draft Day.

Kristoff slept as long as he could. Which today, was until 10:30am. Not bad. But he had really hoped this would be one of those days he woke up after noon. This left him six and a half hours until the Draft started.

Kristoff wanted to be alone today. And after he blew off Anna's question about their future last night, she all but ran back to The Palace. He was a fucking idiot. But he didn't want to think about it. Instead, he threw on his gym clothes and headed to campus. With it being summer, the school was empty. The restaurants and shops were closed but Kristoff's key card still opened the gym. That wouldn't close down until the boys left for Nebraska.

He ran through his typical warm up, maxed out his clean and jerk and then burned through a thirty minute AMRAP. The music blasting in his Airpods helped drown out any thoughts he had about today. Or Anna. But when his thirty minute timer was up he felt like he could go another sixty. So he got on a treadmill and started running. The monotony of that fucked with him so after only seven minutes, he jumped off of the track and ran out the gym doors. His stuff would be fine in the gym while he was gone.

The passing scenery outside distracted his mind and soon he fell into a mental limbo. His mind floated between memories and his present surroundings. An old song reminded him of middle school. He watched the pavement for a while and counted his steps in each square of sidewalk. A passing car reminded him of an old friend. He didn't typically enjoy running, it was always hard to start. But eventually he would get to a point where it wasn't work anymore. Runner's high or something. It felt _good_ and his body always did weird things when he got to that point. From his physiology classes he knew it was his body releasing an increased amount of endorphins, it always surprised him though. His stress melted away and he just felt euphoric.

It was two in the afternoon when he made it back to the gym. He gathered his belongings and headed down to the training room. He chugged the two protein drinks in his bag and set up an ice bath in one of the athletic tubs. It was protocol to limit the recovery baths to fifteen minutes but Kristoff pushed it to twenty-five just because.

He took his time leaving campus. When he was finally driving back to his apartment it was just after three o'clock. The Draft officially started at 5pm Colorado time and the plan was for Kristoff and his parents to arrive at the clubhouse at 4:30pm. That gave him just enough time to head home, shower, get dressed and overthink every play he's ever made in his entire baseball career.

It all came down to today. This is what he had been working towards since he learned you could make money playing baseball.

* * *

Anna had never been in the Arendelle baseball team room. It was larger than softball's since they had a larger roster but besides that they were pretty similar. Dark, cherry wood cubbies for each player, a huge tv screen above them and an oversized Arendelle Aggies logo sewn into the carpet. Anna wrinkled her nose as she entered. The men's clubhouse definitely didn't _smell_ as nice as the girls', that was for sure.

It was 4:52pm when she arrived with Tiana and Rapunzel.

She knew Kristoff, Cliff and Bulda would be there by now even though she hadn't talked to him at all today. Anna couldn't help feeling weird. After weeks of being too chicken shit to discuss their future, Anna finally asked. And he practically broke up with her on the spot. She knew he would be more tactful when the conversation happened for real, but it stung all the same.

The clubhouse was packed with people. The entire baseball team, athletic trainers, the Athletic Director and some staff from the front office, even the bus driver. Kristoff wasn't the first Arendelle Aggie drafted into the Major League but it was always a show when it happened. Rapunzel and Tiana went in search of their counterparts but Anna hung in the back. There was a small table set up with some snacks and refreshments-Bulda's doing of course-so Anna occupied herself with the carrots and ranch dip.

The handful of Draft parties Anna had seen on youtube told her the draftee would be sitting front and center, closest to the tv. Him and his family would be sitting in barstool height chairs, with everyone standing behind them. And usually, on the other side of the player, would be where the girlfriend/fiancée sat.

Anna didn't dare move from her spot in the back of the room. This was the most important day in Kristoff's life. And she knew there was a live MLB camera set up at the front to capture everyone's reaction when Kristoff was drafted. So she didn't want to taint that footage with her presence. When he looked back on that clip years from now, she didn't want him cringing at the memory of _her _instead of his accomplishments.

* * *

Sometimes scouts or crosscheckers would call a potential Draft pick the day of just to follow up, to make sure the organization was clear on the kid's 'signability'. Some players didn't know how the system worked, or felt awkward talking about salary or maybe they didn't have an agent. So that made a scout's job harder. Scouts hated wishy-washy players. But Kristoff and Mattias had been clear from the beginning: he wasn't signing for less than three million. So Kristoff wasn't surprised when his phone laid silent in his pocket when the draft started. Teams knew to call Mattias anyways.

Kristoff didn't pay attention when the four men at the broadcaster's desk were talking. They were just there as filler between draft picks. When Robert D. Manfred Jr., Commissioner of Baseball, was at the podium, _that's_ when Kristoff focused. Adley Rutschman was the number one draft pick, overall. Everyone knew that was coming. It was obviously an honor and he would go down in the history books but, at the same time, he was drafted to the _Baltimore Orioles_ so...

42 minutes. The time between each draft pick seemed to drag on longer than any extra innings game Kristoff had ever played but in reality Kristoff only had to wait 42 minutes. And then Mr. Manfred returned to the podium for another draft pick.

"_**With the 13th selection of the 2020 MLB draft, the San Francisco Giants select Kristoff Bjorgman, a shortstop from Arendelle University."**_

The team room erupted. Kristoff wouldn't have thought it was real if his mother hadn't almost pulled his arm out of its socket. Someone behind him passed up a black Giants hat with an orange SF stitched into it. It fit perfectly. Kristoff stood, hugged his mom and then his dad. One of them was crying but he didn't know who. He stood there for another moment and just took it all in. The room was so loud. He turned to his teammates and they were all yelling like idiots, pumping their fists and shaking his shoulders. Even with what felt like a hundred people in front of him, Kristoff still found Anna. Through the chaos around them, his eyes locked onto her and all he could see was blue.

Ignoring everyone around him, Kristoff went straight for her. His running high from hours ago was nothing compared to this moment right here. All his dreams had come true and Anna was standing right in front of him, smiling up at him with that mischievous glint in her eye.

Anna straightened the hat on his head and grinned up at Kristoff, "The Bay Area is beautiful."

"Come with me." Kristoff barely let her finish her sentence before the words were out of his mouth. If his face hadn't have been so serious, Anna would have thought this was a joke.

"W-what?" She stuttered. The volume in the room was still loud as someone had started playing celebratory music, so Anna needed to be sure of what Kristoff said.

"Come with me. To San Jose or Richmond or whatever minor league team they send me to. We'll get an apartment, but- just _please_ come with me."

"Ok."

Kristoff's face split into the biggest grin she had ever seen and he wrapped his large arms around her, caging her arms to her side. She couldn't help but laugh.

When Kristoff's phone rang with a call from Scott Harris, the Giants' General Manager, he kissed her hard on the mouth and walked out of the clubhouse to find a quieter area.

Anna wanted to be selfish. And if Kristoff was offering her two more months with him, she would take it. Anna knew she would only stay with him until August when she had to come back here. She wouldn't even see him finish his first minor league season before she had to return for her senior year. And maybe it would be harder to say goodbye to him then. But that was a problem for Future Anna.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The days leading up to the draft had dragged on for Anna but now that it was all said and done, everything was a blur. The regional scout brought Kristoff's Giants' contract to Arendelle the next day for him to sign. That made it all official. He was going to San Jose to play in the High A league there.

And then the next day, Friday, the team was flying to Omaha to play in the World Series. That didn't give Kristoff and Anna a _whole_ lot of time to figure out what exactly they would be doing this summer. The Giants organization would put Kristoff up in a hotel in San Jose for a week but then after that he was on his own to find a place to live. The issue with the minor leagues was a player never knew how long they were going to be there for. Most players rented apartments but if they were traded or moved to another affiliate team in a different state they would still be on the hook with the lease. Some teams had agreements with locals to be Host Families for players and then there were the few guys who chose to just stay in a hotel. Continental breakfast every morning? Maids cleaning your room every afternoon? Never having to cook or clean, seemed like the perfect bachelor pad.

"_How about an AirBnb?"_

"_That's not a horrible idea…" Kristoff's eyes unfocused in thought. _

"_They even have some within walking distance to the stadium." Anna tapped on her phone and showed Kristoff a listing on the app. _

_Kristoff scrolled through the pictures, "Two bedroom...cottage...washer dryer….$4800 a month?!" He exclaimed. _

"_I can cover it." Anna said casually and then quickly added, "Look, there's a zoo! And it's only .6 miles to the stadium. We could get scooters!" _

"_You're not covering the rent." Kristoff said sternly. _

"_If it wasn't for me, you could get a roommate and some shitty apartment instead of an over priced vacation rental."_

"_Bay Area paychecks come with Bay Area cost of living."_

"_Don't want you blowing _all_ your signing bonus big shot, we can split it."_

_Kristoff rolled his eyes, "Fine."_

The plan was Kristoff and the team would fly to Omaha Friday morning while a moving crew packed up the minimal things in his Arendelle apartment and drove it back to his parents' house in Montana. Kristoff packed the few items he wanted to bring to California in his Omaha suitcases because after the tournament he would fly directly to San Jose. Anna would go back to Arendelle and finalize everything at The Palace with Rapunzel and Tiana. All the girls would be coming back in August for their senior years so they were just storing everything in the house over the summer. Anna had made sure the house had an extensive security system when she moved in so she wasn't worried about anyone breaking in. After that was all settled, Anna would fly out to join Kristoff in the Bay Area.

* * *

The NCAA Baseball World Series started on Saturday, June 13th and ran until the 24th. Rapunzel, Tiana and Anna agreed that an AirBnb would be much better than sharing a two bed hotel room for a week and a half. But of course they wouldn't let Anna pay for the whole thing by herself.

Some of their time was spent watching baseball but there was still a lot of downtime too. Omaha wasn't necessarily the top tourist destination in America but the World Series was a big boost for their economy so the city turned out for that. They had plenty of museums and parks and even a cool walking bridge.

Arendelle was in a bracket with Vanderbilt, Louisville and Auburn. The winner of that bracket would go on to play in the National Championship game against the winner of the other bracket.

Arendelle's first game was against Auburn University late Sunday afternoon. The girls had flown in early that morning and had checked into their house before heading to the stadium. TD Ameritrade Park was pretty impressive but with only _one_ field for eight different teams that meant the games were spread out over multiple days. Vanderbilt played Louisville right before Arendelle's game. Vandy had only won 3-1 but they were clearly the better team. Now they would play the winner of Arendelle and Auburn on Wednesday. The days of tiring doubleheaders were over apparently now that they got two full rest days between games.

The Aggies didn't have as easy of a time with Auburn. This lefty named Milo started the game and he started...slow. His nerves were clear on the mound but thankfully the defense behind him was able to hold Auburn to a small lead. Tensions were high. This was the biggest stage in college baseball and everyone wanted to get a win right out of the gate. It wasn't until the seventh inning when John Smith hit a base clearing double and Arendelle tied it up 4-4. And then, the next inning Shang hit a sacrifice fly for Naveen to score the go ahead run to make it 5-4. The closer, David, came into pitch the ninth inning and the boys held on to get their first tournament win.

* * *

Monday and Tuesday were their "days off" but the team still had to travel to a nearby high school to get a few reps in each morning. But that left the rest of the day to do what they wanted.

"_TripAdvisor says it's, _and I quote,_ the 'world's best zoo'!" Anna exclaimed._

"_What is with you and zoos?" Kristoff laughed._

Anna (and TripAdvisor) had been right. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo was phenomenal. They had so many exhibits and even an aquarium. The three couples had arrived together but had soon split off in different directions to look at different habitats.

After an hour and a half of wandering, Kristoff and Anna were sitting on a bench in front of the orangutans eating ice cream cones. Anna was distracted by her mint chocolate chip so she didn't notice Kristoff openly staring at her. Kristoff, careful of his own cone, wrapped his free arm around Anna's hips and shifted her closer to him. The angle was a little tight that her legs went over his knees or accommodate for the lack of space. Temporarily forgetting about her treat, Anna looked up to the blonde and smiled cutely. Before she could say anything, Kristoff spoke, "Hey. I love you."

"Hey. I love you too." Anna's smile turned into a toothy grin. But for some reason Kristoff's face remained more serious.

"I can't believe we're here."

"You're the one who wanted to look at the orangutans _before_ the gorillas." Anna teased.

Kristoff rolled his eyes and tried to hide his smile, "You know what I mean. When this year started my goal was obviously to end up drafted. Making it to the World Series was an added bonus. But _you_?" Kristoff paused to rake his eyes all over Anna's face. "You're something I never knew I needed." Anna's chest warmed at his words and she wound her free arm around his neck. When he looked at her like that, how had she ever thought he would break up with her?

"Let's take a picture." Anna said, the smile permanent on her face now. While keeping their intertwined position, she fished out Kristoff's iPhone from his front pocket. Turning the front camera on, Anna extended her arm and tapped the button. Bringing the phone back to review the picture, Anna was surprised how perfect it actually was. They were both glowing, no filter needed, and the vibrant scenery around them only added to the flawless portrait. She showed it to Kristoff, but he only wanted to kiss her instead.

Anna tried to speak, "You know-" Kristoff kissed her again, "I would be ok with-" kiss, "you posting that online." Kristoff stopped his attack and pulled back.

"You mean, like on instagram? _My_ instagram?" Kristoff eyed her skeptically.

"Oh my god, what? Am I going to mess up your profile's color scheme or something?" Anna was only slightly offended.

"No no, geez that came out wrong. I just want to clarify: you're ok with me posting your _actual_ picture. People will see your _whole_ face."

"Yeah," Anna laughed now realizing he was just looking out for her privacy, "I want all those people to see me _whole_ face now."

"Ok. I want you to know that, since the draft, I'm up to forty-two thousand followers..._and_ I have a blue check."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Is that supposed to impress me?"

"Wow! Stone cold! Just be ready for the baseball news accounts to do some digging. They'll know who you are _and_ will be posting your softball pictures before the end of day."

"Ok well that's sort of intimidating...but it's fine."

"Then maaaybe you'll make your own account?" Kristoff asked slyly.

"Baby steps!" Anna untangled herself from his hold and walked off towards the gorilla exhibit finishing her ice cream.

* * *

It had taken less than two hours for Anna to be doxxed on instagram. Anna thought it would be harmless, but to the college baseball world it seemed like 'BREAKING NEWS: Kristoff Bjorgman's mystery woman finally revealed', and all her softball stats to go along with it. Thankfully that's where it stopped and no one cared enough about her to dig into her family or ex boyfriend.

Anna was a little creeped out by her pictures being posted and commented on by strangers on the internet...but the heart-eye emojis _were_ flattering.

* * *

Tiana, Rapunzel and Anna arrived at the stadium an hour early Wednesday to watch the end of the Louisville/Auburn game. Since they were in the elimination bracket, whoever lost was going home. And that turned out to be Auburn. Nothing worse than losing your only two games and then it's over. So now, Louisville would play the loser of Arendelle versus Vanderbilt.

Flynn was starting this game. That gave the atmosphere a different feel because everyone had complete and utter faith in him. A couple of runners got on base in the first two innings but the Aggies held Vanderbilt scoreless. Arendelle scored first in the top of the second inning when Phillip walked, stole second and then Kristoff hit a double down the first baseline. The game was going great. Kristoff had made two Sportscenter worthy plays at shortstop and had even picked a runner off at second base. Flynn and Naveen were in a groove too. So all three girls were pretty hyped on the game. Then the eighth inning hit. Flynn usually only pitched until the seventh but their coach kept him in. Rapunzel didn't like that. She still worried about his arm after his surgery, but he had kept up with his stretches and routine appointments with the trainers so he should be fine. But with the added stress of this being the World Series, his fatigue was apparent on the mound. Everyone could tell he was starting to struggle. But still their coach kept him in. After one particularly bad pitch and the second walk of the inning, Naveen went out to talk to Flynn. Kristoff and the other infielders stood at the edge of the pitching mound, glove covering their mouths, listening to the couple. Naveen even chanced a look at their coach in the dugout, hoping he would relieve Flynn. When the umpire walked out to tell them their time was up, Naveen smacked Flynn on the back and Kristoff gave an encouraging word. Flynn shook out his arm, checked the runners at first and second and then threw a strong first pitch strike. But it was late in the game and on the next pitch, Flynn left a breaking ball hanging. A loud 'whack' could be heard throughout the stadium. Flynn hung his head the moment the batter made contact. The ball soared over the left field fence and now Vanderbilt was up 4-3.

Their coach pulled Flynn the next batter. Too little too late though. Vanderbilt went on to score two more runs off of the relief pitcher, leaving the final score at 6-3. That meant Arendelle would now have to play Louisville in the elimination bracket the next day. The loser of that game would go home and the winner would have to beat Vanderbilt _twice_ on Friday to move onto the Championship series.

It was late afternoon when the game ended and the boys got back onto their charter bus. Too early for dinner, but not enough time to really explore any more of the city. The atmosphere in the Uber was somber. And the poor 35 year old man driving was just being nice but the girls were not in the mood. When they got back into their vacation rental, Rapunzel collapsed onto the sofa. Her empathic tendencies had her spiraling. Obviously they all felt bad for Flynn, but knowing Rapunzel, she just wanted to wrap him up and not let go until the next morning. And she couldn't do that. So now she suffered in silence. Tiana and Anna suffering right alongside her.

"Rapunzel?" Tiana called from the kitchen, nudging Anna.

"Hmm?" The blonde sighed.

"Can we talk about your wedding?" Anna knew what Tiana was doing so she grabbed the White Claws from the refrigerator and brought them to the couch. Rapunzel stayed in her pity party position but her eyes perked up a little at the sight of the cans. "Well...if _you_ want to."

"What color theme are you doing again?" Anna asked. This was their thing. Tiana and Anna knew every detail that Rapunzel had planned and was going to plan for her wedding. (It was a year away but the girl was meticulous.) But Rapunzel loooved to talk about it. So whenever she was having a particularly bad day, the girls would indulge her.

"Well it's not really _lavender_ lavender but that's the closest word to what the colors _actually_ is." Rapunzel sat up and Anna handed her an opened can of hard seltzer. "It's like smokey-grayish-lavender. It's so beautiful. And the bouquets will actually be lavender sprigs with silver dollar eucalyptus. Ah it's going to smell _so_ good! I'm really thinking I'm going to put some, like at the back of my hair. I don't know if I want to do a _full_ flower crown. Doing something that's a fad seems like a bad idea. It might not age well, ya know? The guys will be in gray vests. We've talked about it? Guys just look _so_ good with their sleeves rolled up and a vest on right?"

"So good!" Tiana agreed.

"And your dress? Have you changed your mind?" Anna asked. Rapunzel hadn't bought her wedding dress yet solely for the reason that she could not decide what she wanted.

"Ugh!" Rapunzel took a drink feigning annoyance, "I saw this beautiful one on instagram. It was long sleeved and so elegant. But do you think I will be too hot? But you know my parents, I bet they would love it if my entire body was covered up. Here let me find it." Rapunzel whipped out her phone and found the picture within seconds. The dress was gorgeous. The bodice was form fitted lace but was off the shoulders, exposing the model's decollage, with a tulle skirt that wasn't too puffy. Rapunzel did not want _too_ puffy.

"Oh wow that's gorgeous Rapz. I think you would look great in that." Anna said genuinely. Tiana had asked her another question but Anna's phone had vibrated twice notifying her of a text message. It was from Kristoff.

**What are you doing? **

_Trying to cheer up Rapunzel..._

**What's wrong with her?**

_You know how she gets when Flynn doesn't do well_

**OH**

**He should be ok now. We talked A LOT of shit about Coach and just blamed it on him for not pulling him earlier. Seemed to make Rider feel better**

_How mature of you guys _Anna added an eye roll emoji and a laughing one for good measure.

**Whatever works**

**So am I going to see you tonight?**

_Well if Rider is so happy now, why don't you guys come over to our airbnb and we can go get food or order in idk?_

**Drop a pin I'll get the boys and see you in 20**

* * *

Thursday was a much happier day at the ballpark. The tension from the fear of being eliminated seemed to pump everyone up. Tadashi Hamada was the starting pitcher for Arendelle and he was good. Teams could hit him but he was what they called a 'ground ball pitcher'. Kristoff and the rest of the infield got a lot of reps that game but they managed to hold Louisville to only one run. Arendelle went on to eliminate Louisville 6-1 and would be playing Vanderbilt the next day.

The girls didn't see their significant others that night as no one wanted to mess up the good juju the team was having.

Friday would be the only day they would have to play a doubleheader. _If _they beat Vanderbilt the first game. Jim Hawkins was the starting pitcher today. Anna never talked to the guy. He kept to himself mostly and didn't always participate in the traditional baseball activities. He also had an interesting haircut. But Kristoff hadn't shaved since the playoffs started so who was she to judge?

Jim wasn't known for his speed. He threw 'submarine', meaning his arm slot was practically underhand. It was rare to see and therefore effective. It took the Vanderbilt line up five innings to even get a read on the ball from the unique angle. And in those five innings, Arendelle was able to score two runs. Not great, but they could work with that. Jim was a short-lived starter and he was replaced by Dash Parr. Dash, ironically, _was_ known for his speed. He could brush 95mph but couldn't always control it. And that turned out to be a problem for the Arendelle Aggies.

Because they (potentially) had another game to play after this one they couldn't use up all their pitchers. But if they lost this game then their other pitchers wouldn't be used anyways. You can see how it can get complicated in these types of situations. But Dash was all they had at the moment. And Vandy loved him. Apparently they muh preferred hitting a fastball than one from a wonky angle. Go figure.

Anna blinked and the game was tied 2-2. She blinked again and Vanderbilt was up 4-2. Dash was yanked and Flynn was put in. Flynn was a starter, not a relief pitcher so this was a weird scenario for him. But he came to play and he wanted to redeem himself from his last appearance. He was on short rest so of course Rapunzel was biting her nails the entire time he was out there worried his elbow would explode or something. Flynn pitched the remainder of the game and Vanderbilt did not score again. However, neither did Arendelle. So at the bottom of the ninth inning, when Aladdin grounded out to the third baseman, that was it. Vanderbilt was moving onto the National Championship game and Arendelle's season was over.

And Kristoff's Arendelle career was over. Holy shit.

Tears pricked Anna's eyes at that realization. She hadn't expected them to lose, so she hadn't expected this to be his last game. Rapunzel was crying too so it wasn't _so_ out of the ordinary that Anna was. Tiana just pulled them both into a group hug and they stood there while the boys mirrored their actions on the field.

Now that their season was over, all the team rules flew out the window. All the players called their families down to the field for pictures. Cliff and Bulda had been at every game too but they insisted Anna stay with her friends. Anna tried to hold back her tears but even Cliff was crying. So to hell with it. The team was haphazardly surrounding the seniors and Kristoff, each player taking their time to say goodbye. It didn't matter that they weren't flying home for a few more days, it was sentimental on the field like this. Flynn wasn't crying but he did look awfully melancholy. Anna lightly punched his shoulder and then hugged him, "Keep an eye on him this summer." Flynn mumbled.

"And you keep an eye on _her_. You'll probably have your hands full." Anna pulled back and gestured over to Rapunzel who was wrapping her arms around Tiana and Naveen who had been hugging separately.

"Just how I like it." Flynn laughed and made his way over to the three.

Anna gave Kristoff a wide berth. She had experienced saying goodbye to her teammates at her junior college but this was different. Not only did the boys have the sting of losing when they were _so close_, but they had to abruptly say goodbye instead of having a planned celebration. After what seemed like an eternity, the players started dispersing to clean up their gear. Cliff and Bulda both hugged Anna and told her they would see her soon. When Anna finally made her way over to Kristoff he was smiling.

"Hey," she greeted softly.

Kristoff's smile remained but his eyes started to get misty staring at her. Anna had not expected that, but opened her arms to him regardless. His thick arms enveloped her and his face hid itself in her neck. She heard him take a shaky breath, "This sucks." his voice barely broke but she still heard it. And then her tears returned.

"I know. Fuck this." Anna wasn't as good at hiding her wobbly voice.

"Yeah fuck this." Kristoff agreed. Anna squeezed him as hard as she could. She knew there wasn't anything she could do for him.

The silver lining was that Vanderbilt went on to win the National Championship four days later so if Arendelle had to lose to somebody it might as well be them.

* * *

AN: I was pulling male characters out of my ass to try and fill this baseball team.


	17. Chapter 17

AN: I am a born and raised SF Giants fan so I might be having a little fun..this is kind of a filler chapter but I actually really enjoyed writing this so snaps for me. (If you care, Sabean is pronounce Say-bee-an)

* * *

Chapter 17

June 19th was Kristoff's last day as an Arendelle Aggie. But his flight to San Francisco wasn't until the 24th so he had plenty of time to grieve and accept that that chapter of his life was closed. Seeing as he didn't have any more baseball, but it was still a 'school sanctioned' trip, his coach pretty much just said "Don't wear any Arendelle gear and don't get arrested." And with that, the group was free to do what they wanted in Omaha. There was a lot of time spent by the team's hotel pool, and a lot of drinking games too. It was so relaxing just to hang out with his friends and Anna, Kristoff was thankful for the extra days. But, before he knew it, Flynn, Naveen and Anna were piling into an Uber and dropping him off at Omaha's airport. Kristoff exchanged hugs and handshakes with his friends, all promising to keep in touch and loose plans to visit California soon. And then he was hugging Anna. He knew it wasn't goodbye but it felt weird.

"I'll see you in a couple days." She said softly, as he squeezed her tighter.

"I know," He mumbled back.

The Giants organization had scheduled Kristoff's flight to land at San Francisco International Airport a few hours before the Wednesday night game. First class too, damn. When he landed, there was a man in a black suit holding a card with his name on it near baggage claim. The driver took Kristoff's largest suitcase and walked toward the Lincoln Navigator in the pick up line. Apparently, the Giants weren't subject to the "No Parking Any Time Violators Will Be Towed" rules.

The driver, whose name was Bobby, informed Kristoff that he would be taking him to the hotel to drop off his things before heading to the stadium. Once they left the airport property, Bobby drove leisurely down the 101 and Kristoff scooted over in the backseat to the driver's side and stared at the world famous Bay. The classic Journey song got stuck in his head within seconds. There was traffic, even though it wasn't rush hour. Bobby said it was normal and Kristoff hoped San Jose wouldn't be as crowded. Bobby laughed at him.

When they arrived at the Hyatt Place Kristoff was surprised how close it was to Oracle Park (the Giants' stadium), like _literally_ right across the street. Bobby handed him his room key and loaded his bags onto a luggage cart with the help of the awaiting bellhop. Kristoff was antsy to get to the stadium so when he got to the room he quickly changed into the team issued work out shirts and shorts he was given, laced up his turf shoes and packed everything else he needed into his small duffle bag. Bobby was waiting just where he left him.

Bobby drove into some back channel parking lot behind the stadium, secured with a gate and security personnel. When Bobby signaled that this was his stop, Kristoff thanked him for all of his help and stepped out into the dark garage. There, he was immediately met by an older man with slicked back, white hair and a tall woman in her late thirties. The man was Brian Sabean, the Executive Vice President for the San Francisco Giants.

"Kristoff Bjorgman, pleasure to finally meet you my boy!" The man greeted Kristoff with a strong handshake.

"The pleasure is all mine Mr. Sabean." Kristoff was glad he took the time to memorize all the Front Office bigwigs names and their pictures.

"This is Megan, she manages the media relations here. You'll be with her once the game starts. Come on." Kristoff shook the woman's hand and they both followed after Mr. Sabean. He was a talker, which suited Kristoff just fine. Megan stayed silent as well, clearly working on her phone. Kristoff spoke when spoken to, but besides that he just took it all in.

They toured the stadium first. It was phenomenal, nothing like Kristoff had ever seen. Of course Kristoff had googled the stadium plenty of times when talks with the Giants scouts got serious but the pictures didn't do it justice. Growing up in Montana, he didn't have a 'home team'. The Seattle Mariners were the closest professional team to him but Kristoff wasn't even alive for the Griffey era and the team had dropped off talent-wise after that. The Giants, however, had gained all of baseball's attention when they won three World Series titles in five years back in the early 2010s. And Brandon Crawford, their All-Star, Gold Glove winning, fan favorite shortstop, was a big part of that new dynasty in the City. Therefore, Kristoff had been skeptical when the Giants first suggested their interest in _him_. Although there weren't any rumors of Crawford going anywhere, his contract was expiring in 2021, he was 33 and this was his ninth season in the Majors. Which were big indicators for a soon-to-retire player. All the thoughts of trying to become the Giants' new 'everyday shortstop' flew out of Kristoff's head the moment he realized where they were.

The hallway leading to frosted glass double doors was lined perfectly with historic black and white photos, headlined by a huge portrait of the three World Series trophies, otherwise known as 'The Triplets'. When Mr. Sabean pushed through the doors, Kristoff was met with an all too familiar, pre-game chaos. The room was a large square, but felt smaller with the amount of people moving around in it. There were cubbies lining the three walls in front of them with players' jerseys hanging from each of them. Some players were standing around talking while others congregated on the plush sofas in the middle of the room. People were moving in and out of the room quickly, some players, some training and coaching staff. Six large televisions were hung from the two pillars towards the middle of the room and were on, but didn't have any sound coming from them. Or maybe they did, Kristoff couldn't tell with all the other sounds going on around him.

Only a few people noticed their appearance in the doorway and shouted a respectful greeting towards Mr. Sabean but ignored Kristoff completely. One person, however, walked towards them from a far corner cubby. It took a moment for Kristoff to recognize the man but by the time he stepped into their space, Kristoff was grinning and reaching his hand out. The other player, just as tall as Kristoff with some more defining meat on him, grabbed his hand and pulled him into a familiar half-embrace-back pat.

"Long time no see Bjorgman."

"Joey Bart, I guess they let anybody in here, don't they?" Kristoff jabbed at him, smirking.

"How ya doin' Mr. Sabean?" Joey turned to the exec.

"Just fine Joey. You know Kristoff here I take it?"

"We played each other a couple years back in preseason. Organization got a good one with him, sir." Joey Bart had gone to Georgia Tech before he was drafted in 2018. First round, number two overall (no big deal). Highly sought after catcher who would, hopefully, be replacing (the future Hall of Famer) Buster Posey in the coming years.

"I'm glad to hear that." Mr. Sabean responded, "I'm going to show Kristoff the rest of the clubhouse and then send him out to BP with you guys."

Kristoff zoned out as he walked through all the different rooms throughout the clubhouse and shook hands with the numerous staffers in each. The thing that snapped him back to reality was walking into Gabe Kapler's office, the Giants' Manager. This was Kapler's first season with Bruce Bochy retiring after twelve seasons with the organization.

"Glad to have you Kristoff. We're excited to see where you're headed." Kapler shooked Kristoff's hand and clapped his shoulder with his other hand.

"Thank you sir, I'm ready to work hard." Kristoff cringed, did that sound as fucking dumb as he thought?

Kapler laughed, "Alright, well head out and let's see what you've got."

Walking onto that field was a whole lot different than any other field Kristoff had been on. This was the holy mecca of all baseball, the end all be all, _The Show_. Everything was perfect, down to the blades of grass. Fifteen or so guys were standing around the big portable cage surrounding home plate as one guy hit off the pitcher. The players were wearing their black batting practice jerseys and matching hats, chatting and waiting for their turn. Never had Kristoff felt so out of place on a baseball field. Thank god for Joey Bart who called, "Bjorgman!" and waved him over.

"Buster, Brandon-Kristoff Bjorgman." Holy shit. He was meeting Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford. Holy shit.

"Hey man, glad ta have ya." Posey said with his southern drawl.

"You played great in the Series man, congrats." Crawford nodded to him.

"Thanks." Kristoff adjusted his hat since he had no clue what else to say.

Bart just laughed at him, "Little nervous there Kris?" Kristoff tried to laugh it off but it was clearly forced.

"Don't let him bother ya. You should have seen him on _his_ first day here." Posey said encouragingly. "You want next?" The All-Star catcher handed Kristoff his bat and gestured towards the cage.

"Uh- sure." Kristoff took the bat without thinking and walked towards the cage. He could hear some hollers from the other players but he was just trying to focus on breathing. He didn't want to fuck this up. He had taken BP a thousand times and once he got into that batter's box he felt a little more comfortable. Sure, this was a wood bat that he had never used before but he could make it work. Kristoff let his muscle memory take over and before he knew it the balls were flying off the borrowed bat. One even hit the left field wall on the fly. The guys behind him loved that.

Once he was finished, more guys came up to him, introducing themselves and making jokes. But it was short lived as Megan returned with a camera crew and interviewer. Again, Kristoff let his muscle memory take over. He knew all the generic answers to give in a scenario like this: I'm excited to be a part of this organization, its a truly beautiful ballpark, I'm here to work hard, blah blah blah. And then the media tour began. Megan whisked him away to interview after interview. Kristoff didn't even know what outlets he was talking to, he just answered the questions over and over again. Throughout his interviews more and more fans filled the stands, a lot congregating on the baselines to try and get autographs. There was a small break with the on camera stuff and Megan handing him a sharpie. What was he supposed to do with that? Nobody wanted his autograph.

"Bjorgman! Glad to have you on the team man!"

"Yo Bjorgman, we'll be seein' you in San Jose!"

Turns out the fans were heavily invested in the team's draft picks and were happy to have him in the organization. Good, he didn't want to get booed. Megan returned and led him back to the clubhouse where he switched out his batting practice outfit for a cream colored game jersey and black hat. He did a much more structured, sit down press conference with Mr. Sabean and then headed out to throw out the game's first pitch.

"Tonight we are thrilled to welcome the newest member to the Giants organization, a shortstop from Arendelle University, Kristoff Bjorgman. Welcome to San Francisco Kristoff. We look forward to seeing you in orange and black here at Oracle Park some day soon." The stadium erupted and Kristoff couldn't help the huge grin on his face as he waved up at the crowds. He jogged out to the mound and was met by a laughing Joey Bart behind the plate. Kristoff threw a pretty good pitch and walked towards Joey to shake his hand.

"Can I have your autograph?" Joey jokingly asked.

* * *

"And then I got to go to the suite where all the front office guys sit. Which was crazy and somehow I didn't mess up _any_ of their names!"

"Did you get any garlic fries?" Anna smiled back at Kristoff through her phone as he laid in the dim light of his hotel room facetiming her. She had never seen him this ecstatic about anything before. He honestly looked like a kid.

"Yes! They were fucking amazing!" Kristoff shook his screen to emphasize it.

Anna laughed, "Ok and then what happened?"

"Oh my gosh, so cool! I got to go sit with Kruk and Kuip!"

"...who?" Anna asked, confused.

"Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper. They are broadcasting _royalty_ and just super cool dudes. They call the game for the local areas but they are renowned in the baseball community."

"Were they nice to you?"

"Oh _super_ nice, and they actually knew stuff about me. Well duh, they're professionals, but it was so cool."

"It sounds amazing." Anna said adjusting her phone in her own room back in Arendelle. Kristoff just smiled and looked off into space, goofy smile never wavering. Until Anna yawned.

"Oh shit it's late isn't it?" Kristoff asked, feeling guilty.

"Oh you know, just a casual 1:40am here." Anna teased him, "But I was waiting up for your call so no worri-" she broke off to yawn again.

"Ok ok I get it, go to bed Sleeping Beauty. I'll see you in a few days."

"Love you." Anna mumbled sleepily.

"Love you too."

It took Kristoff's body another two hours before it calmed down enough to fall asleep. The next day he would be headed to San Jose to start his professional career playing for the minor league team there. He hoped Bobby would be driving him.

* * *

AN: Maybe you hated it? Maybe it was ok? Any Kristanna fans out there who also love the Giants? Its a very niche group. Next chapter will have more Kristanna I promise.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

-44 Days Left-

Anna just landed and the countdown had already begun. It was June 29th and she had 44 days in San Jose with Kristoff until her flight back to Denver on August 12th. It wasn't long but it would be a nice vacation. She had never been to the Bay Area before which was strange since she was born and raised in Southern California. But So Cal and Nor Cal have this weird rivalry between the two and Anna's family never had a need for traveling to the other part of the state. But one thing the two parts had in common was the traffic. She was only six miles from the condo but holy hell this was awful.

_Traffic is bonkers but I'll see you tonight! _Anna added a few star-eyed emojis to her text to emphasize her excitement. Kristoff was at the field and that's why she was currently riding in an Uber to their AirBnb. The Giants organization was still footing the bill for Kristoff's hotel for another three days but Anna wanted to settle into their temporary home. There was no point in unpacking at the hotel just to repack and unpack _again_ at the rental. Anna didn't really expect Kristoff to text her back but she kept checking just out of habit. With his baseball schedule now, he rarely had his phone. There was _some_ downtime but more often than not Kristoff would be napping in the team's clubhouse before his pre-game warm-up.

The condo was nice. It had a modern aesthetic that Anna wouldn't choose for herself but she couldn't really complain. It was a fully furnished place less than a mile from Excite Ballpark, the San Jose Giants' home field. The furniture in the place looked more for style than for comfort and some of the art on the walls was...interesting. Walking back into the master bedroom, Anna was happy to see a king sized bed with a plush comforter and huge pillows. This room was far cozier than the living space. She dropped her large suitcase on the rug and started unpacking its contents. Anna was glad to see the faded black baseball cap hadn't been squished too bad. She straightened it out and looked at the orange SJ logo stitched on it. Anna thought it was strange that the San Jose team had the same mascot as their major league counterpart in San Francisco but it made buying fan gear much easier. The only difference was the 'SJ' instead of an 'SF'. Anna left plenty of space for Kristoff's things in the closet and drawers and then brought her toiletry bag into the attached bathroom. The bathroom was small but the owners clearly tried to pack as much into it as possible. There was a double sink vanity, a separate pocket door for the toilet and a large walk in shower with a ceiling mounted, rain shower head. Just standing in the space, Anna knew it would be cramped with both her and Kristoff in it. But the shower could definitely fit them together… Anna ran her tongue over her teeth and laughed at herself.

Anna felt gross from the travel so she took a quick shower. Making sure she kept her hair out of the stream, Anna got out, toweled off and went back into the bedroom to get dressed. It was hot outside, well hot by Anna's standards. Apparently it could reach upwards of one-hundred degrees here and today it was only in the mid-eighties. Anna opted for a black tank top and loose fitted denim shorts to go with her SJ hat, along with plenty of sunscreen. With the stadium's 'clear bag' policy, Anna packed her mini-backpack with all her essentials and headed to the garage. The listing said the house came with bicycles for renters and she wanted to make sure they were usable. The stadium wasn't far but she knew Kristoff would appreciate having a quicker mode of transportation besides walking. Thankfully, all the tires were pumped up and the bikes were in good working condition. Anna liked the turquoise beach cruiser so she wheeled that one closest to the door, she grabbed one of the bike locks too and put that in her bag. Checking her phone (Kristoff never did text her back), Anna had a few minutes before she needed to go. The game started at 7pm and she wanted to get there around 6:30 just to get her ticket and take a look around.

* * *

Anna had no issue locking up her bike, getting her ticket at will call and then finding her seat in the stadium. There were bleachers all down the first and third baselines and fold down seats behind home plate, where her seat was. The ballpark was pretty basic but the hills in the distance were a nice scene to look at out past the outfield fence.

When Anna first saw Kristoff her heart leapt and she was all of the sudden nervous, not unlike months ago when they first started talking. It was strange seeing him in a uniform that wasn't Arendelle's navy blue but he could pull off orange and black just fine. Anna was admiring him from a far when she noticed his eyes scanning the crowd. She stood up and his eyes caught the movement. Anna's seat was behind home plate but closer to the third base side where the home team's dugout was. Kristoff jogged over to the fence and Anna hopped the two rows in front of her to meet him. Thankfully she didn't fall.

Tonight the Giants wore white pants and black tops with San Jose stitched across the chest in orange, "Nice uni." Anna bit her lip.

"Nice hat." Kristoff wanted to smirk but the joy was so clear in his eyes that it turned into a wide grin. Anna's smile grew to match his. She just wanted to stare at him, instead she took her phone out and snapped a quick picture before he got embarrassed, "A candid shot for all your internet followers."

"You get into the Airbnb ok?"

"Yeah. Are you going to come over tonight or-"

Kristoff didn't even let her finish her question, _"Yes!" _he practically yelled.

Anna snickered at Kristoff's enthusiasm, "Good." Her earlier visions on them in the shower resurfaced.

Kristoff looked over his shoulder and then back to Anna, "Well I better get going…"

"Go get 'em 35." Anna referenced the new number Kristoff would be wearing while on this team.

-34 Days Left-

It didn't take Anna long to get into the groove of Kristoff's schedule. His alarm would go off at 10am (it was rare that she woke up before that). They would lay in bed for twenty-ish minutes talking and cuddling and more often than not that turned into something _else_. She was glad he not longer wanted to abide by their no-sex-before-a-game rule. Once they finally got out of bed, Kristoff would shower and Anna would make breakfast. During home stands, Kristoff had to report to the field at 2pm so that gave them a few hours together.

San Jose was _much_ different than Arendelle, and Living Rock for that matter. Kristoff had never lived in a big city and this was the heart of Silicon Valley. Anna could tell he was a little overwhelmed with the go-go-go mentality of the city so they tried to stick to more easy-going activities like hikes or farmers markets or even museums.

Once 1:50pm hit Kristoff would bike to the field and get ready for his 7pm game. That included treatment with the trainers, watching film in the club house and extra work with the specialized coaches. Kristoff had told her the 'extra work' was optional but she wasn't surprised Kristoff jumped at the opportunity. He had been Big Man On Campus at Arendelle and in the NCAA. But he was here to learn and better himself.

"_I never even imagined this stuff could be real. You should see the technology they have us using. We wear these weird shirts and they hook this circle thing to the chest, I swear we all look like Tony Stark. And this machine sends all this data and information back to the computers in the Sports Science office. They can see how many G-forces we exert, our vitals throughout the work out and even what type of recovery our body needs."_

It had only been ten days but Anna could already tell Kristoff was maturing as a player. He was completely open to whatever the coaches and trainers had for him. Which was great, because they didn't _just_ want Kristoff to be a good Minor League player, they were trying to get him to San Francisco. After all the early afternoon stuff was done, then came the pre-game warm up. The team headed out at 3:30pm for an hour of batting practice then had downtime and a light dinner before they stretched and played catch at 6:20ish. Then it was game time. Anna was at every home game, 6:30 sharp. She liked to talk to the different stadium employees before the first pitch. Her favorite so far was Olaf, the 50-something year old guy who made the snowcones.

One of Anna's favorite things about these games was that Kristoff was playing different positions now. Seven out of ten nights Kristoff was the starting shortstop for the San Jose Giants but he had given her the run down on this All-Star shortstop in San Francisco. So Anna understood why the organization wanted to move Kristoff around and see what he could do in other positions. Occasionally he would be playing third base. The throw across the field was a slightly different angle but it hadn't been a problem with all the extra work he put in. One night he was even put in left field and he looked comfortable enough. Shortstop was the toughest position (if you didn't count pitching or catching) and Kristoff was a good shortstop. And good shortstops were good athletes. So third base or outfield or wherever they wanted to put him, he would adjust.

Seeing as Anna didn't have any friends to sit with (apparently she was the only serious girlfriend on the team) she fell back into the routine of keeping notes each game. Sure, their fancy 'Sports Science' could track the men's vitals or whatever, but Anna could read body language.

The games ended sometime around 10pm and Anna would ride back alone. Kristoff had more work to do at the field, either recovery treatment or a session in the gym, and then would usually be home, already showered, after 11pm. The couple would decompress, talk about the game or what the trainers said, maybe watch Netflix and then head to bed. And then do it all over again the next day.

During the days Kristoff was out of town, Anna did her best to stay busy. There was plenty to do in San Jose and the surrounding areas but Anna missed Colorado. (It _was_ nice to have four In-N-Outs all within ten minutes of her though.) Anna kept trying different "hikes" in the area but they were disappointing to say the least. She joined a gym to stay in playing shape and she even found an indoor batting cage. The place was a little outdated, but it would work for the next few weeks. Understandably, Kristoff didn't have much time to talk while he was traveling. It's not like Anna talked to him during the day while he was _home_, but at least she got to see him in person at the field and sleep in the same bed with him. They would exchange sporadic texts and the occasional facetime after the game but while the team was away Kristoff had a roommate in the hotel so that was slightly problematic.

The night before the boys had finished their latest series at home and they were headed on a seven day road trip. There were eight teams in the California League, four in So Cal and four up north. The next closest team to San Jose were the Oakland A's minor league team, the Stockton Ports. Their field was a little more than an hour away, without traffic, but Anna didn't have a car. Sure, she could afford one but she wasn't frivolous with her money. Instead she paid the subscription fee to live stream the games instead.

"You have everything packed?" Anna walked into the bedroom to find Kristoff laying sideways on the bed, looking at his phone. He didn't answer right away and Anna furrowed her brow at him. After a few more seconds of silence, she nudged his leg.

"Sorry, yes I have everything packed, sorry. Mattias just sent me something to look over." Anna was thankful for the older man in Kristoff's life. He really did have Kristoff's best interest at heart, though the 10% cut he was getting had to be nice…

"What is it this time?" Anna asked, laying on her stomach next to him.

"Lulu...lemon?"

"What?!" Anna shot up.

"What?" Kristoff asked, startled.

"_Lululemon wants to sponsor you?_"

"That's what this email says." Kristoff furrowed his brow at her, still confused by her reaction.

Anna realized how insane she must look and tried to relax her expression, "Oh I mean, yeah, that's cool. Are you going to do it?" she asked in a fake casual voice.

Kristoff laughed at her, "Do you want me to give them _your_ email?"

"You know the NCAA doesn't allow that." Anna mumbled back, pouting. Again Kristoff laughed at her. He placed his phone down and wrapped his arms around Anna's waist, dragging her back to the bed.

"I'm going to pass on the lemons." Kristoff spoke softer now. Anna had trapped his right arm against the bed but he still held her tight, his left hand brushing her loose hair out of her face.

"You are such a _boy_. Every girl and their mom would jump at that brand deal." Anna whispered back and pursed her lips trying to hide her smile.

"Yeah but all the big money is in shoes. And all the shoe brands are _also_ clothing brands so..."

"So you can't alienate yourself with a niche brand in fear of missing out on those bigger deals." Anna finished.

"Exactly."

"So you're sure you're all packed?" Anna used her nails to scratch down Kristoff's arm.

He cocked an eyebrow, "You know I went on a lot of road trips before you came along. And I got along just fine."

"You literally forgot your toothbrush when you went to Omaha." Anna deadpanned.

"And the gas station had the exact same one! Crisis averted." Kristoff pinched her back, making Anna arch into him. They laid there silently, just holding each other.

"Seven days huh?" Anna muttered.

He sighed, "Yup."

More silence.

"What are you going to do while I'm gone?"

It was Anna's turn to sigh, "I haven't thought about it yet. Yosemite is less than four hours away but that would require a rental car and camping supplies that I don't have. Maybe I'll go see the Golden Gate Bridge, see what all the fuss is about."

"That sounds fun. The bridge part, not the Yosemite part. I don't want you falling off of Half Dome or something without me."

"Oh but we could fall off together? Cool..." Anna laughed and scrunched up her nose. Kristoff snorted and buried his face into her neck. His scruff scratched at her chest and she shifted her body on top of his trying to pull away. It only turned into a more compromising position. They hadn't even been together a year but it felt like an eternity. In the _best_ way possible. The last year had aged him quickly and it was surreal that he wouldn't be going back to Arendelle in the fall. He was on his own now, but he was so glad Anna was with him.

"I better head to the stadium." Kristoff said regrettably, "But I'll call you tonight."

-27 Days Left-

Anna wanted to stay up and wait for Kristoff to get home but he told her it wouldn't be until three or four in the morning. She convinced herself she could do it, but she only vaguely remembered the movement of the bed as someone slid in next to her in the darkness.

Anna felt extra groggy as the familiar sound of Kristoff's alarm going off at 10am woke her. That alarm only went off when he had home games but today was his day off. He (they) could sleep in and then have the entire day to do whatever they wanted without the time limit of Kristoff having to head to the stadium. There was a huge Six Flags amusement park an hour and a half away. Anna hoped they could go, ride roller coasters, eat junk food and watch the animal shows (because of course they had animals too).

Anna's body was trying to shut down and fall back asleep but her brain alerted her to the fact that Kristoff had left the bed and was pulling open dresser drawers. Opening her eyes, Anna blinked rapidly trying to get the sleep out of them. Kristoff was in the corner pulling on his team gear. "What are you doing?" Anna's voice was thick with morning sleep.

"I'm going to meet with the trainer and then I've got an appointment with the team masseuse and have some recovery treatment."

"Oh, uh- I just thought...that you had a day off today."

"I do, but I still need to take care of myself." Kristoff's voice was even.

"Yeah, yeah you're right. What- what time do you think you'll be back?" Anna stuttered. She was trying to sound understanding without letting the disappointment bleed in.

Kristoff shrugged and finished pulling on his shirt, "Maybe three o'clock."

Discontentment shot down Anna's arms, _there goes her idea for the day_. She bit her lip and rolled over in bed, "Ok, text me if you head home earlier."

"What are you going to be doing?" Did he assume that she already had her own plans on _his_ day off. Anna knew Kristoff wasn't suspicious of how she spent her time but there was a disconnect growing between them.

"I- um," There was no point telling him about her would-be plans since it would only make him feel guilty, "I'll probably head to the gym and the grocery store."

"Ok well let's do something when I get home ok? And maybe try a new restaurant for dinner?"

"Sounds great."

* * *

It was 4:30 when Kristoff finally walked into their condo. Anna had been dressed and ready for an outing two hours ago. She wanted to be annoyed, she really did, but the logical part of her brain reminded her he wasn't doing this on purpose. He was here to play baseball,_ it was literally his job. _He wasn't out gallivanting around town, hanging with his buddies-he was working. These players put in hours of work now and had the off season to rest. The only issue was, she wouldn't be with him in the off season. This was her only time with him until god knows when.

"Long day for your day off." She hoped she sounded sympathetic. Kristoff mumbled something and fell face down into the couch.

"Do you want to-"

"Yeah, just give me a minute." His already groggy voice was muffled by the couch cushion.

Anna walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked good-a fresh face of sun kissed freckles, loosely curled auburn hair highlighted from the sunshine, she even had some tinted lip gloss on. Anna pulled her hair back into a bun and carefully removed the dangly leather earrings she had purchased at a boutique downtown that day. When she walked out a minute later, she could hear the soft snores coming from the couch. Picking up her phone she redialed the last number she had called. "Yes, hi, I made a reservation earlier-...for Anna...yeah...yeah, no can you-...yeah can you cancel it? …Yeah we had a change of plans, sorry about that...oh thank you...yeah you too."

Anna, dejected, took a few chicken breasts out of the refrigerator, the rice and spices from the pantry and started to preheat the oven.

-26 Days Left-

Because of his late afternoon nap, Kristoff woke up way before his usual ten o'clock alarm. He hadn't realized it the night before but _he fucked up_. He had told Anna they would have a date that would turn into dinner out. He hadn't outright noticed her appearance when he got home but his memory told him she had put in extra effort for their plans. Then his dumb ass fell asleep on the couch. He woke up hours later to a plate of chicken, rice and brussel sprouts, the plans of trying a new restaurant long forgotten. Anna had already eaten. She didn't say anything but he knew he fucked up.

He wanted to make it up to her. He would start with breakfast. He was able to climb out of bed without disturbing her and used his phone to request an Uber.

When Kristoff returned an hour later, he took the to go boxes out of the bag and put the crepes, bacon and fruit onto a real plate. Anna would know he didn't make it but the presentation was everything. She was a heavy sleeper so Kristoff put the plates down before he gently stroked her hair. When that didn't work he called her name softly and squeezed her shoulder. Finally she stirred and rolled in his direction, "Whaaat?" she groaned.

"I have fooood." He sang. Anna's eyes slowly opened and looked up at him. His hair was getting long, almost to the point of needing to tie it back but Anna liked it. He could probably pull off a man bun too, he had that whole Norse God thing going on. Anna's thoughts of Kristoff replacing Chris Hemsworth in Thor were quickly shoved away when she noticed the plates of food on the nightstand. She sat up against the headboard and looked at him with sleepy admiration.

"I'm sorry for dropping the ball yesterday. But I want to make it up to you. We'll start with this." Kristoff handed Anna her food, a fork and a napkin. "And then...have you ever heard of the _Winchester Mystery House_?" Kristoff made his voice waiver in a bad impression of a ghost.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

—21 Days Left—

Anna had never been in a long distance relationship before. She didn't like it. When she agreed to come to California with Kristoff this is not what she expected. Anna had experienced loneliness pretty extensively so she was familiar with the feeling. This was different. She wasn't lonely per say...she just felt like she was missing something. A piece of her was missing.

_Oh my god I sound like a fucking teenager in a John Green book. _

Anna had to keep reminding herself that this was Kristoff's job—his _dream_—and there were sacrifices they both had to make. He was gone on another four day road trip, this time to Visalia, and Anna was having an existential crisis.

_Why did I come here? But if I wasn't _here_ where would I be? New York? Fat fucking chance. Arendelle? Would that have been better? Really alone, counting down the days until my friends came back? Should I just follow him to all of his game? What the fuck? No! That's crazy. He doesn't need that. Maybe I'm not cut out for this._

That last thought stopped Anna in her tracks. She had gone back and forth a thousand times in the days leading up to the MLB Draft thinking Kristoff was going to dump her. And she had gotten to a point where she had come to terms with it. She knew it would be hard, but she also knew she was strong and she would be ok. Anna had never given a thought to the idea of _her_ breaking up with _him _though. There _was_ the obvious reason that they still loved each other, but...was that enough? Even if she didn't want to end their relationship, Anna had to think about what was best for Kristoff and what was best for her. She had a front row seat to how difficult this season was for him and how hard he was working. They barely talked as it was, and if she was in Colorado one-hundred percent of the time...what would their relationship look like? Would they just drift apart until they just agreed to an amicable break up? Or would they start to resent each other and have a huge blow out over the phone? There's no way dragging it on would be better for either of them.

The chiming of her iPhone's text notification made Anna physically jump.

**They got some big ass trees here **

The iMessage was accompanied by a picture of a Giant Sequoia tree. Anna snorted at the words and then was slightly jealous Kristoff was so close to the National Park. She shot off a quick reply, shut out her earlier thoughts and opened youtube on her laptop to watch "#VanLife" videos.

—17 Days Left—

"Hey, will you come in here?" Anna was sitting on the couch and Kristoff was doing something in their room. She had made the decision to have a real, adult conversation about what their relationship will look like once she is back in Colorado. When Kristoff walked into the living room, Anna couldn't help but grin at him. He was shirtless with a pair of his team shorts on.

He flopped down on the couch and pulled Anna towards him, "Hey." he said casually and rubbed his hand down her exposed leg.

"I want to talk about your plan." Right to the chase. She only had two and a half more weeks. So that made her more confident than she was before the Draft.

"What do you mean?" Kristoff furrowed his brows.

"So your season ends in September, then what?" Anna clarified.

"Well I don't really know yet." Kristoff's voice was even.

"What do you mean?" Now Anna furrowed her brow, how did he not know?

Kristoff's hand continued to slide up and down her leg subconsciously, "It depends what the organization wants to do with me. There are other leagues that happen in our 'off season' that run until November, so I could get invited to those. But I haven't heard yet. If I do, then I'll have some time off during the holidays and then I'm hoping the Giants invite me to Arizona for Spring Training. That will start in February."

So that would be three months without seeing Kristoff. And she was having a tough time with seven days. "And how do you feel about that? Three months…" She left the words hanging in the air, not finishing her sentence, but Kristoff knew.

"Well it's not _great_, but it's not for forever either."

Anna paused, yeah that was true but it didn't make it suck any less, "Relationship-wise, has this been hard for you?"

"Well…" Anna could tell Kristoff was feeling guilty, "I think it's a lot harder on you than it is me. Not that I don't care or something shitty like that." he added hastily, "It's just, I'm so busy, it's hard to focus on anything besides baseball."

Anna stared at the wall above their TV and mumbled, "Yeah, I understand." And she did. So why did she feel slighted that he was sharing her pain? Misery loves company and all that.

Kristoff shifted their bodies and was facing her fully now, "How can I fix this?" The guilt was pouring out of him but that only made Anna feel worse. She didn't want him to feel guilty. This wasn't his fault. It wasn't anyone's fault.

Anna moved some of his shaggy hair out of his face, it was getting so long, "I love you and there is nothing to fix. This is your new normal. I want you to focus on baseball. Everything is fine."

"It doesn't feel like everything is fine." Kristoff spoke softly, his hazel eyes shifting over her face for some more answers.

"When is your next day off?" Anna changed the subject, not wanting to continue this one because she knew there was no solution.

Kristoff didn't feel like their conversation was over, "After this next home stand, so in…" he thought, "4 days"

"Can we please please _please_ go to the Six Flags in Vallejo? They have lions _and_ tigers there."

"And bears? Oh my!" Anna pushed his shoulder and Kristoff laughed, "I couldn't resist! You walked right into that one. But yes, I would love to spend the day pissing myself on roller coasters with you."

—13 Days Left—

"Ok, lunchtime. Would you like a churro or a pretzel?" Anna asked as she pulled Kristoff in the direction of a food cart.

"Are those my only options?" Kristoff groaned.

Anna rolled her eyes, "All you eat everyday is rice and chicken. You can have _one_ cheat day."

"Can I have my churro dipped in an ice cream cone?"

Anna stopped and spoke seriously, "I don't think I have loved you more than this very moment."

Kristoff laughed and ordered enough snack food to feed a summer camp. They found an empty table and spread out their bounty. They ate in silence until Kristoff asked, "So are you excited to head back to Arendelle." Anna resisted giving him a deadpanned look.

"I don't know if excited is the right term." She didn't elaborate.

"I'm sure you're excited to see the girls though right?"

Anna's attitude softened, "Yeah...I am. I'm sure we have a lot of catching up to do." She hadn't done a good job keeping in touch with Rapunzel or Tiana this summer. But they understood and of course had requested (demanded) a margarita night the day they all returned to The Palace.

Kristoff huffed, "I still can't believe I won't be going back this fall. This all just feels like playing in Cape Cod every summer and it will end and I'll be back in my shitty apartment and shooting the shit with Flynn and Naveen."

"Have you heard from them at all this summer?"

"A little bit. We've got a group chat but we mostly just send funny videos and memes." Kristoff's voice was light so she couldn't tell if he was bothered by that or not.

"Have you given any thought to what you'll do with the Airbnb once I leave?"

"Yeah, I talked to Ryder Nattura and he's up for getting an apartment together. It's a month to month lease so if something happens then neither of us will be on the hook for a bunch of rent."

"Good."

Kristoff put his corn dog down on the paper tray and turned to Anna, "I know this is so shitty. But we're gonna be fine. We'll text and we'll facetime and maybe we can even do short trips to see each other."

Kristoff spoke like he really meant it, but they were empty promises. Anna chose her next words carefully, "I will do anything to help get you to the Majors." She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. He tasted like mustard and sunscreen. But it was perfect.

—9 Days Left—

They had had an amazing day at Six Flags and then Kristoff had to leave for another road trip. He had only been gone for three days. But it was enough for Anna to solidify her decision to break up with him when she went back to school. Kristoff was working so hard and it would only get harder when the spring season came around. If he was really going to work to get to the Majors then he couldn't be distracted. And she wanted to focus too. She had morning workouts, then classes and fall ball and she was hoping to get an internship in the off season too. And then in the spring she was desperate for her team to make it to Oklahoma City for the Softball World Series. Watching the boys in Omaha only pushed her determination to get there herself.

Even when Kristoff lived 5 minutes from her in Arendelle, they had their moments. But now? Trying to navigate a long distance relationship with a professional baseball player while she was still trying to finish her senior year? It wasn't fair for either of them.

When Kristoff was away their relationship was stagnant. Which was understandable, but it didn't make it any easier. They seemed to be having the same conversations over and over again:

Goodmorning

What are you doing today?

That sounds fun

I've gotta go, I'll text you later

Hey, how was your day?

Goodnight

When Anna leaves for Colorado they won't see each other at all. And she can't take that. She's grateful for the extra time here with Kristoff though. It was better than nothing.

—0 Days Left—

Anna had felt sick for days. Her stomach was in knots and it was even harder to put on a happy face so Kristoff didn't suspect anything. Today he had to report to the field at 2pm, just like normal, so she had to request an Uber to take her to the airport. He felt bad, but she assured him it was fine. It was exactly what she planned for. Looking at the app, the car would be here in seven minutes. That wasn't enough time for Kristoff to convince her this was a mistake and to stay together. She didn't want to be convinced. She wanted to rip the bandaid off and retreat like the coward she was. It was no coincidence that she wanted until this exact moment to have this conversation. It was a cop out, she knew it.

With her bags all packed and stacked by the door, Anna felt her stomach clench and grabbed Kristoff's hand. When he focused on her, he did not like what he saw. "Kristoff, I think..._this is it_." She couldn't even say the proper words.

"What do you mean?" His voice held no understanding or warmth.

Anna took a deep breath and tried to look him in the eye, "I'm going to be in Colorado and...I think our relationship would just complicate things. We both will have a lot on our plate and- ...you don't need our relationship making it harder for you. It's for the best. For y- _for both of us_ to be successful." There was nothing Anna wanted more than for Kristoff to achieve all his hopes and dreams. So yes, breaking up might feel shitty now, but it would be for the best if Kristoff wasn't distracted on his journey to the Majors. She had to remember that _she_ had dreams too though. She wasn't breaking up with him _just_ for his benefit. Right? Right.

Kristoff's eyes shifted away from her and he stepped away, "I-...Shit Anna. I don't know what to say. I- I know you're right." A small part of her had hoped he would fight her on this. "But I love you so much. I don't want to lose you." Kristoff turned back to her, she hated the look he gave her.

"You won't. I'll be here, Bjorgman. But this is your time. You won't get it back. You do you. Don't worry about me." Anna dropped her hands, she wanted to reach out to him but resisted.

"I'm always going to worry about you." Kristoff's voice was hollow now.

Anna whispered back, "I know, but I'll be fine." She really hoped that was true.

"I love you." He moved into her body, wrapped his arms around her and held her.

"I love you too." She squeezed him tight and prayed the tears stayed away. The ping of her phone alerted her that her Uber was outside. Pushing her hands against Kristoff's chest, she pulled back. His thick eyebrows were furrowed but she only saw the tears brimming his lower lashline, never falling. She leaned up and kissed his lips softly one last time.

She wanted it to be a chaste kiss. A goodbye kiss. But he gripped her so tight that her heart wanted to explode and sorrow filled her bones. Kristoff's lips moved over hers with months of practiced ease. His hands held the back of her neck and her hips and she could feel every wonderful inch of him. The desire was still there, curling in her stomach, but instead of an exciting anticipation it was more of a dull ache that she knew she would never be able to satisfy.

She didn't know how she got into the Uber. But then the door was shut and the driver was pulling away from the curb. That's when her dam broke.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"So you ended it? _Just like that?_"

Anna eyed the margaritas Rapunzel and Tiana had in front of them. Alcohol _would_ have made retelling what happened with Kristoff a little less painful. But Anna just sipped her ice tea and hummed, "Hmm."

"Well you're going to get back together _right_?" Rapunzel pressed.

"Punz." Tiana warned.

"They have to! It's like, like they're meant to be!" Rapunzel's voice was a whisper as if she was just speaking to Tiana. Anna sighed and stirred her drink.

"What do you need from us?" Tiana asked softly.

Anna looked up and gave them her best smile. From the worried looks on their faces it must not have been very convincing, "Nothing. I'm fine. Everything is fine."

Rapunzel and Tiana exchanged looks and then moved around the kitchen island to hug Anna from both sides.

Anna knew the girls told Flynn and Naveen what happened. Because every time she saw them they was awkward beyond belief. Which only made it worse. She wanted everyone to ignore this and pretend like everything was fine. It was working for her after all. But every time the guys would tip toe around her, it reminded Anna of _why_ they were acting that way. It wasn't long before she stopped accepting invitations to hang out with the four of them.

* * *

Even though it was September, Arizona was still fucking sweltering. Kristoff had only been here for two weeks and he was tired of the heat. At least San Jose had _some_ breezes off of the Bay, but Arizona was a literal fucking desert.

Kristoff was currently living with a host family in Scottsdale and playing in the Arizona Instructional League. The AIL was used for the players fresh to the Minors. So Kristoff was meeting a whole slew of guys from other organizations that were in his Draft class. He knew multiple guys from college ball but only four came from the Giants organization. Unfortunately, Kristoff didn't know any of them. Two were from Salem-Keizer and two from Richmond. They stuck together which was fine with Kristoff, he never had issues making friends on the field.

His season in San Jose had flown by. And he was thankful for that. Leaving the Airbnb and moving in with Ryder helped. He was a goofy guy and was always good for a laugh. Ryder was also pretty straightlaced. He rarely went out and didn't seem interested in partying. Kristoff was happy with that. The two became fast friends, but then Kristoff got the call to head to Arizona once his season was over. He had no idea if and when he would see Ryder again but they were keeping in touch. It was nice to have someone going through the same experience and who understood the struggles of working towards the Big Leagues.

"Bjorgman! We're going out tonight. Meet us downtown." One of Kristoff's temporary teammates yelled in the parking lot as they exited the stadium.

"Yeah! I'll catch up!" Kristoff had zero plans to meet up with them. Sure it was nice to be included but he was here to work. And if they wanted to be hungover the next morning at workouts, that only made _him_ look better.

Kristoff got into the decades old Toyota Corolla his host family was lending him when his phone rang with an unfamiliar number. Sliding his thumb across the screen Kristoff answered, "This is Kristoff."

"Bjorgman, it's Alan Lee, Director of Arizona Operations with the San Francisco Giants."

Kristoff froze at his title. He didn't know if this was a good call or a bad one. "Hello sir, what can I do for you?"

"I just got word from the front office. They want you to report to the AFL tomorrow. Welcome to the Scottsdale Scorpions."

The Arizona Fall League. "Oh wow, thank you sir."

"Congratulations Bjorgman, we're excited to see how you do. The itinerary should be in your inbox now."

"Yes sir, thank you."

The call ended without the Director saying anything more.

The Arizona Fall League! Holy shit this was fucking huge. Kristoff worked his ass off but he was still skeptical he would be asked to go to the AFL. Only the top six prospects from each orhanization were invited. And he was just a rookie, in every sense of the word. Kristoff knew there were plenty of players who had years of experience in the Giants' system. He was fighting against all those guys for this spot. But _he_ still got the call. Holy fucking shit. Kristoff wanted to stay calm and level headed but he also knew that going to the AFL was a strong indicator of who would be invited to the team's Spring Training camp in February. Holy shit. _Holy shit._

Still holding his phone in his hand, Kristoff quickly opened his contacts. But with his thumb hovering over the first name in the As, he had to stop himself. Fuck. She was the only one he wanted to call to tell about this huge news. But he couldn't. _Fuck_. His head thudded against the headrest as he stared out of the dirty front window. They hadn't spoken at all since she walked out of their place in San Jose. He had drafted a thousand texts to her but he hadn't sent any of them. He knew nothing he said would change their situation. She was still in Colorado until June and he had no idea where he would be even three months from now.

Instead, Kristoff swiped his finger down his contacts until he landed on D.

"Hey Kris, what's the news?"

"Hey Mattias," The grin was apparent in Kristoff's voice, "Looks like I'll be staying in Scottsdale until Thanksgiving."

"Yes!" Kristoff could tell that Mattias had taken the phone away from his mouth to shout. "You've been working your ass off Bjorgman, you deserve this. I'm going to reach out to the Big Four and we'll have a shoe deal by the New Year."

'The Big Four': Nike, Adiadas, Under Armour, New Balance. That was where the _big_ money was.

"Sounds good, I should call my parents. I'll email you the info when I get it from the front office."

"And I'll let you know when we get some offers. Talk soon." Mattias hung up and Kristoff's body relaxed. He still had the nagging feeling in the back of his mind but he ignored it like he had been for weeks now.

* * *

Anna was good at compartmentalizing. If she stayed busy she wouldn't have time to think about Kristoff. And it was easy for the most part. She was taking a full load of classes, she had weights in the mornings and practice in the afternoons, then dinner and homework, then bed. And she would do it all over again the next day. It was all oddly familiar to last year before she met him.

It wasn't all mundane. She enjoyed her course schedule and was able to make friends in some of her classes. Softball was always a good distraction and Anna found herself laughing and joking around with the team more and more as the weeks went on. And as the fall progressed, Anna was feeling lighter than she had when she first arrived back at Arendelle. It wasn't all perfect but she was confident it would be some day.

One Saturday night, The Palace was quiet. Rapunzel and Tiana were out with the guys and Anna had resolved to watch a new series on Netflix. But then her bedroom door was opening with a delayed knock from Merida. Merida was the wild one of the house. She got along fine with the other girls but she didn't limit herself to just hanging out with the softball girls. She seemed to always be busy and had a multitude of friends in different circles throughout campus.

"Hey, get dressed, we're going out." Merida's parents were from Scotland so she had the residuals of an accent in her voice.

Anna cocked her head, "What?" Her and Merida had never hung out just the two of them. Let alone gone to a party together.

"Get dressed." She said slower as if Anna was stupid, "We're going out."

"I-"

"You've been a real downer, let's go have some fun." The words hurt more than Anna would ever admit.

The college house Anna walked into was nothing like The Palace. It had low ceilings, was poorly light and far too loud. There were flags hanging on multiple walls and a pyramid made out of beer cans in one corner. If she had to guess, boys lived here. Shocker.

"Mer, whose house is this?"

"Basketball players maybe?" Merida shrugged over her shoulder.

There were people everywhere. Some Anna recognized and some she had never seen in her life. Even though it was late October the house was stiflingly hot. She needed to get outside before she sweated through her blouse. Anna lost Merida in the crowd within minutes of arriving and was annoyed with how her night was turning out. She made it to the kitchen and filled a Solo cup with ice and tap water.

"Anna right?" A short girl with a dark ponytail asked her. She was cute, if not a little young looking.

"Yeah...are you in my Kinesiology class?"

"Yeah! I sit in the back, I'm Vanellope."

"Vanellope? That's a…"

"Yeah yeah I know it's a weird name. I don't know what my parents were thinking." The girl rolled her eyes playfully. Anna lightly laughed, trying to become comfortable with this girl.

"Who did you come with?" Venellope asked.

"Merida, the one with the-"

"Red hair, oh yeah _I know _Merida." Anna didn't know what that was supposed to mean. "So are you on the softball team with her?"

"Yeah I am." Anna answered, looking around the kitchen for her teammate.

"Cool! Well it was great officially meeting you, I'll see you in class!" and then Venellope was gone. But Anna didn't care. She wasn't in the mood to talk to new people anyways. She wasn't really in the mood for a party either but she didn't want to be a _total_ downer. She would give it twenty more minutes. If Merida didn't reappear, Anna would call an Uber. It wasn't as hot in the kitchen so Anna took out her phone and started scrolling through the News app. It was the best she could do since she still didn't have an instagram.

"Hey." This time, the voice greeting her was distinctly male. Anna looked up to a tall guy with dark hair and a matching, scruffy beard. He was objectively good looking and his blue eyes were staring right at Anna.

"Hi." Anna smiled up at him, unsure what else to say.

"I haven't seen you around here before. I'm Brandon." He stuck his large hand out for Anna to shake.

"Anna." She replied, his hand was warm if not a little clammy.

"You on a team?" He leaned his hand against the countertop. He wasn't _too_ close, but Anna wanted him staying where he was.

"Softball. What about you?" She would play the polite party goer and hopefully he would go away just as Venellope did.

"Yeah I'm on the basketball team. I'm the Center."

"Should have guessed with how tall you are." He had to be at least 6'6".

"So what year are you?"

"A senior."

"Oh sick, I'm a junior."

"Hmm." This conversation was starting to get painful. Anna looked back at her phone, hoping he would take the hint.

"So you wanna go back to my place?"

Anna sharply inhaled through her nose. Was he fucking serious? "I'm actually waiting for someone, thanks though." She wished she could say what she was _really_ thinking.

"Well I'm sure we could find a room her-"

"Hello? Yeah I'm here, where are you?" Anna lifted her phone to her ear, faking a phone call and walked right out of the kitchen. When she knew she was out of his line of sight, Anna took the phone down and opened the Uber app.

That night was the first time she googled 'Kristoff Bjorgman baseball news'.

* * *

Kristoff walked through the door of his hotel suite, dropped his bag and flopped onto the floral couch in the "living room". Behind him came a behemoth of a man who had to duck under the door jam.

"_Fucking hell!_ Trying to kill me with this bag Bjorgman?" Sven Gundersen: left-handed pitcher in the Atlanta Braves farm system, 6'5", 220lbs, currently with the Double-A affiliate in Mississippi. And Kristoff's suitemate for the duration of the AFL.

The Arizona Fall League was unique in the fact that each team was comprised of players from multiple different organizations. Their team specifically, the Scottsdale Scorpions, was made up of players from the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays. Each member of the coaching staff was from one of the five clubs as well and players roomed with someone from a differing organization. They were also put up in extended-stay hotel suites for the six weeks they played.

"My bad man but if I didn't drop it there my arm was literally going to fall off." Kristoff mumbled, his face buried in the couch.

He heard Sven shifting around and then he too flopped down into the chair next to the couch. The chair was comically too small for the man. "So where are we eating tonight?"

"I heard Peterson talking about this vegan place up th-"

Sven interrupted, "Hard pass. Meat is a non-negotiable."

"Saw that there was one of the Medieval Times places by the stadium. We can get you a whole turkey leg." Kristoff had shifted his position and was now lounged back on the couch with he feet on the coffee table.

"Ok, that is amazing and we will for sure be doing that before the league is over but I might have to fast for a few days to prep."

Kristoff was now scrolling through his Yelp app, "Ok what about," he paused and looked hard at the restaurant name, "Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse?"

Sven snorted, "First of all, I am one hundred percent sure that is _not_ how you say it. But if 'steakhouse' is in the name they must be doing something right. Can we walk?"

"Ummm," Kristoff drawled as he switched his apps over to Google Maps, "Hour and eighteen minute walk. I'll order an Uber."

Kristoff felt way too underdressed when the hostess was leading them to their table. And when he saw the price of the Wagyu New York Strip he wanted to gag.

"$125 for a fucking steak?" Sven sounded appalled, "Well shit, that must be some good meat, sign me up!" he grinned and slapped the menu shut. Kristoff opted for the $40 Top Sirloin.

"Bjorgman, I watched the draft and I can only assume how much your signing bonus was. You've gotta live a little sometimes." Sven teased him. The tall pitcher was a few years older than Kristoff and had moved around the Braves farm system quite a bit _("They just wanted me to get some time in against experienced hitters.")_ He was confident this was his year though.

"Does that mean you're buying my dinner tonight bud?"

"If I knew you were putting out then _maybe_." Sven wiggled his eyebrows at his roommate.

Kristoff grunted a laugh, "You're a real sweet talker Gundersen."

Sven, suddenly distracted, only hummed in response. Kristoff followed his eyes to two women at the bar talking. The one on the left then looked over and licked her lips before turning back to her friend.

"Kris, come on." Sven said sliding his chair back from the table.

"Nah man, you got it."

Sven stopped his motion of standing to look at his teammate, "Dude, you saw that right? That was a clear invitation to come over. Let's go."

Kristoff leaned back, placing his arm over the empty chair next to him, "Sven, I have all the confidence in the world that you don't need a wingman. Or are you saying you can't talk to women alone?" Kristoff cocked his eyebrow challengingly.

"I see what you're doing but also fuck you I don't need you. I'll be back before my steak gets here. _Don't_ touch it!" Kristoff laughed and took out his phone.

Sven was back within ten minutes, "One for me aaand one for you." He said as he slid a cocktail napkin across the table towards Kristoff. On it was a phone number written in pretty handwriting. Kristoff left it on the table.

"Ok fine. Let's talk about it. I just assumed you didn't have a girl back home because you are literally _never_ on the phone besides with your agent. So what's the deal then?" Sven and Kristoff had only known each other for a couple weeks and most of their conversations revolved around baseball.

"It's...complicated."

"Of fucking course it is." Sven rolled his eyes.

"It's nothing. I just won't be taking girls numbers for now."

Sven eyed Kristoff skeptically, "Fine. But it's a real buzzkill because I'm pretty sure both of those girls were more interested in you than me."

"My condolences buddy." Kristoff smirked.

* * *

As the semester wined down, Anna felt great. At least physically she did. Fall ball had gone better than she hoped and she was chomping at the bit to get the spring season started. They really had a chance this year and she couldn't wait to show out. Her mental health...could have been better. But she was back to meeting with Dr. Yelena every week and that was helping. And with Thanksgiving coming up, Anna knew she shouldn't be alone. So when Rapunzel offered to drive them to Utah just like she had the previous year, Anna agreed. And as a gift to Rapunzel (or herself because nine hours in a car both ways was her nightmare) Anna bought them flights from Denver to Salt Lake City.

Anna had never been to Utah before but just flying into the airport had her wanting to explore the whole state. Rapunzel's parents lived east of the city in the hills and open space. Their house was beautiful (like what Pinterest boards were made of). It was huge and luxurious and was only enhanced by the scenery surrounding it. The hills were peppered with some residual snow from the storm that had hit the week before. There wasn't anymore in the forecast and Anna was only a little bummed by that.

"Girls! Come in, come in! Fred made brunch and I made mimosas!" Rapunzel's mom hugged them each tightly as they walked into the foyer. "I made yours without champagne dear." She whispered into Anna's hair.

"Thanks Mrs. Corona."

"Anna I have told you twenty times to call me Arianna. 'Mrs. Corona' makes me sound so old." Anna just laughed as Rapunzel's mom pulled at her non-existent wrinkles.

"Is that the sound of my credit card being used on more Botox?" Rapunzel's dad called from the kitchen.

"Fred!" Arianna shouted in appall but soon was laughing along with the girls as they all entered the kitchen. Rapunzel's dad was amazing, he was nothing like Anna's own father but he was great in his own respect. He was a huge teddy bear and gave the best hugs. And he had great facial hair.

"Dad!" Rapunzel jumped into her dad's awaiting arms.

"Anna we are so happy you're here for Thanksgiving." Fred said as he gave her a hug too.

"Me too, thanks for having me." Anna smiled at the small family in front of her. She truly was glad to be here.

* * *

"Ok buddy, last chance to come with me to Montana." Kristoff stood in the suite's kitchenette. He was making eggs as Sven came out of his room shirtless, having just woken up.

"Don't tease me like that Kris. You know I want to." Sven pouted. Kristoff only laughed at his teammate.

The Fall League had ended a few days ago and Kristoff was leaving for the airport within the hour to head back to Living Rock for the holidays. He did actually want Sven to join him as the two had become close in the weeks they lived together. But he had plans with his own family back in Florida and felt guilty bailing on them.

"Ok well if you change your mind, let me know."

Sven came around Kristoff and hugged him from behind making the shorter man laugh, "So it's not gonna be easy, it's gonna be really hard. And we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I wanna do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever. You and me. Everyday."

Kristoff tried to control his laughter but Sven only held him tighter, "If you're a bird...I'm a bird?" Kristoff offered.

Sven released Kristoff and shoved his shoulder, "We watch The Notebook _twelve times_ and that's all you've got for me? That cuts deep."

Being back in Living Rock felt strange. It was already a small town, but now he was like a living legend. Everywhere he went, the townsfolk wanted to shake his hand and ask him about life as a pro. People bought his meals at restaurants and kids asked for his autograph. His mom loved the attention but that's because bragging about him was like a drug to her. She memorized all his stats and would talk to any and everyone who would listen.

Even though he had the time off from the field, Kristoff was still putting in work. He hired a strength coach from the University of Montana who was on break from his school job to train him. Even though the college was three hours away, Kristoff lucked out with the fact that the trainer, Coach Brutus, was originally from a town twenty minutes from him and he could stay with his aunt for the few weeks. Kristoff would have footed the bill for a hotel for the man but he was glad he didn't have to.

Kristoff's parents' house, however, was the worst part of being back. The last time he had been there was Christmas the previous year. With Anna. He loved his mom's decorations but everything reminded him of _her_. Kristoff desperately wanted to know where she was, how she was spending the holiday, how she was doing. That was the closest he had come to actually reaching out to Anna. But then Flynn had posted a picture of himself, Rapunzel and Anna in front of Rapunzel's Christmas tree with the caption "Merry Elfin Christmas". They looked like they had just woken up. Anna's auburn hair was in a messy bun and her t-shirt was wrinkled. She looked better than he remembered. But it was her pants that had Kristoff's palms clammy. They were the same green and red striped ones his parents had gifted her Christmas morning last year. Kristoff continued to stare at the picture, only seeing Anna. His chest hurt and he dropped his phone on his stomach.

* * *

Anna was glad she went back to Utah for Christmas too. The snow was beautiful and the skiing was even better. Her and Flynn stuck to the bunny hills while Rapunzel and her dad took on the Black Diamonds. The trio had returned to Arendelle before the new year along with Tiana and Naveen.

And on the morning of January 6th, while Anna was getting ready for her first class of the new semester, her phone went off with a Google alert. The San Francisco Giants had released their Spring Training invitees list. Opening the press release the first sentence had Anna's throat tightening, "SAN FRANCISCO - Top Giants prospects Sean Hjelle and Kristoff Bjorgman are among the 18 non-roster invitees to Major League Spring Training announced by the club on Monday."

She shot up from her make up vanity and proceeded to bang her knee on the underside, _"Son of a-"_ Anna whispered. Multiple items had toppled over in her excitement but she ignored them to read the article. Kristoff was going to Spring Training. _Kristoff was going to Spring fucking Training! _Anna jumped around her room, silencing the shriek in the back of her throat. She hadn't told anyone that she was still keeping tabs on him. That was a little too crazy ex-girlfriend for her. And her friends never brought him up even though she knew they talked about him. This was her guilty pleasure. She really tried to limit it to _just_ news articles. But if she was feeling truly masochistic, she would open his Instagram in a web browser.

* * *

Kristoff was back in Arizona and he still couldn't believe he was actually here for the Giants' Spring Training camp. The February weather was much more tolerable compared to the late summer heat and that only added to his good mood.

His mother taught him to be humble, but even he could admit he had done _very_ well the last few months leading up to this. His game had already been good by college standards but working with professional staffs elevated him to the next level. And the term 'five-tool player' had been thrown around enough times for Kristoff to think he actually had a shot here. It wasn't completely unheard of for players to have a quick turn around from being drafted to making it to the Majors, but the odds were not in his favor. Still, he was here and he would give it his all. Even if he didn't make the 26-man roster for Opening Day, he would have countless more opportunities to get the call up. Hell, it even took Bryce Harper two years before he was called up.

There were plenty of familiar faces from his day touring Oracle Park all those months ago. The guys greeted him and some even had some small talk with him before the first team meeting started. Being in this clubhouse was surreal. Being in it as a player was mind boggling. This was just another step to making it to the Majors. Kristoff was seasoned in schooling his emotions but his insides were going wild. He was either going to puke or shit himself. Both were bad so he just kept breathing until his stomach settled. He knew once he was on the dirt everything would be fine.

His player sheet consisted of his Spring plan, per say. They would be focusing him at third base and left field. Kristoff had never pictured himself as an outfielder but if that's what they wanted, he would deliver. He had some experience there in San Jose and even in the Instructional League. But Kristoff knew he would be far more comfortable at third base. He also knew Evan Longoria was the starting third baseman the last few season. And he was a straight up legend. And Kristoff was trying to take his spot? Well, he did love a challenge.

* * *

Anna always prided herself on her multi-tasking abilities. It's a reason, she thought, that made her a good shortstop. So when it came to watching Giants Spring Training games while simultaneously trying to take notes in class, Anna took it as a challenge. If this was her guilty pleasure, she couldn't sacrifice her GPA. She told herself if her grades suffered then she would cancel her livestream subscription. Combine that with hiding the fact that she was watching these games, she really had her work cut out for her. Most of the games started at noon or one in the afternoon and were over by the time practice started. But there were the occasional evening games that started around six. Practice was winding down by that time, if not over completely. With preseason games approaching, Coach was focusing them on more game-like scenarios and released them when he was satisfied.

Anna felt like an addict getting her fix the way she would rush home and lock herself in her room. Rapunzel and Tiana could never know what she was doing. Not only would she be humiliated but it would only reopen the door to the endless conversations of _'What does this mean? Do you still have feeling for him? Are you going to get back together?' _And then it was only a matter of time before Naveen and Flynn found out and Kristoff himself is hearing about his pathetic ex-girlfriend who can't miss one of his games.

He didn't even play most of the time. But Anna couldn't risk missing a game _just in case_ he was put it.

Evan Longoria started about sixty percent of the games at third base but Kristoff was holding his own too. There were even a few games Kristoff played the entire nine innings. His hitting had started slow but he rarely struck out, just like in college. Anna was glad to see that. The team was about eight games in (Kristoff having only played three of them) when he really caught fire. After that it was like _'when_ Bjorgman hits it' not 'if'. The coaching staff even started putting him in left field the days he wasn't at third just to have his bat in the lineup. His defense there wasn't as strong as some of the other strictly outfield guys but he was adjusting well.

Then, seventeen games into the season, it happened. Evan Longoria, starting third baseman for the San Fransisco Giants, dove into second base and broke his wrist on his throwing hand. If Anna hadn't of been in the middle of Anatomy lab she would have screamed. Instead, she excused herself to the bathroom and silently dance in front of the mirror. Anna felt guilty for being excited but this was _huge_ for Kristoff. If Longoria was out, that made room for him to swoop in and potentially make the 26 man roster. Anna thought Kristoff was better than Longoria anyways (and was definitely hitting better than him), but it was always hard for a ball club to give the spot to a rookie over a seasoned veteran. There were still two weeks left in the Spring season and now Kristoff was the everyday third baseman. This is was his time to really shine and go full out.

* * *

Kristoff was at his locker cubby, relaxing before the team started batting practice. They were playing the White Sox today. Kristoff had hit their starting pitcher well the last time they faced off but Chicago's ace was on the mound this afternoon. Kristoff had just finished reading an email from Mattias when one of the coaching staff called to him, "Bjorgman! Kapler's office."

This wasn't the first time he was called into the manager's office this season, but it didn't make it any less nerve wracking. There was no one else in the spacious office when Kristoff walked in.

Gabe Kapler, this was his first year as Manager for the Giants. He had replaced Bruce Bochy, who was a legend in his own right, and a lot of people didn't think Kapler had what it took. But Kristoff liked him enough. He liked his style and he liked how he viewed the game. But right now Kristoff did _not_ like how the man was looking at him.

Kapler was sitting behind his desk, hands folded together, blocking his mouth. He was still wearing his street clothes but he did have the batting practice hat on. He eyed Kristoff hard as he sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Sir." Kristoff greeted with a nod.

"Bjorgman-" It sounded like the beginning of a statement so Kristoff stayed silent. "As you know Longoria is out. Doc says he's got six weeks in a hard cast then who knows how much rehab after that. You've stepped up this Spring and have impressed the entire staff. I'm happy to say you'll be on that field come Opening Day. Congratulations son."

Kristoff's mind exploded. He saw white dots in his vision and his legs went numb. And then Kaplan was standing to shake his hand and everything snapped back. Sound flooded back into his ears and it was like the entire locker room was screaming in his ear. Kristoff couldn't control his emotions as he stood to meet the older man. Tears stung his eyes but he didn't care.

"Tha- Thank you sir. This means a-" Kristoff's voice broke and he didn't finish his sentence. Something between a laugh and a sob came out of his mouth as he gripped his Manager's hand.

Kapler slapped him on the shoulder with his other hand, "You earned it Bjorgman. Make us proud."

* * *

"And then the girl stood up, looked at the professor and spit! She actually spit!" Tiana exclaimed.

"Oh my god! No!" Rapunzel whispered in shock.

"Shut up! You're not serious." Anna gave a disbelieving look.

"Hand to god. It landed right on the desk."

"See this is why I don't mess with Poli-Sci girls." Anna mumbled.

The three girls were sitting in the dining hall having a late breakfast between their morning classes. Preseason games had started and even though they seemed to spend endless hours together with softball-related activities, they hadn't sat down and just _talked_ in what felt like forever. Tiana was entertaining them with the latest Political Analysis class drama while Rapunzel ate her fifth bowl of Lucky Charms. Anna had decided on Froot Loops but was just now starting her third bowl. No one could keep up with the blonde outfielder. Tiana was talking about the aftermath of the spitting incident when Anna's phone vibrated on the table. She spooned another bite into her mouth and then picked up her phone.

Before Anna's brain could catch up with her mouth, she was choking on her cereal. Her friends stopped talking and turned to her. Tiana, who was sitting next to her, pat her on the back and looked on concernedly.

"Ffu-uck!" Anna managed to sputter out as she finally was able to breath again. Her could feel a residual Loop stuck in her throat but she ignored it for the time being. "Oh shit you guys I'm so sorry I-I forgot I have this, uh assignment due. I have to go home and finish it!"

Anna was gathering her stuff before the girls could even register what was happening. "Ok, uh, don't worry about this, we'll clean it up for you." Rapunzel said.

"See you at practice!" Tiana called after her as Anna hurried out of the building.

Anna hoped they missed the huge grin on her face. When she slammed her car door, she didn't even start the thing, she just shrieked and laughed and slammed the steering wheel. Then she read each and every article about the Giants' 26 man roster and the predictions for the starting line up. Everyone was confident Kristoff Bjorgman would be at third base Opening Day.

Anna didn't even realize she had been crying until she tasted the salty tears drip onto her lips. She laughed out loud and wiped her nose. Opening the Southwest Airlines app, Anna didn't hesitate in buying a round trip ticket to San Fransisco International Airport for the morning of March 27th, Opening Day. Her return flight would be at 11:15pm so she would be back in time for classes the next day.

Now she just needed a lie to get out of practice that day...

* * *

AN: Seems like its been a while. Hope this didn't disappoint. Reviews let me know people are still reading and caring...so if you are and you do...let me know?


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"_I'm sorry Coach but I have to fly out of town for an emergency tomorrow morning. I will be back tomorrow night though. If you need to bench me for the games this weekend, I understand." _Anna didn't think it was going to be that easy. But she _never_ missed practice, so Coach knew this had to be serious. The fact that she was actually getting on a plane helped. He didn't ask any questions and just told her to be safe. Anna did feel guilty taking advantage of his trust like that, but she also knew she would do it again if it meant attending Opening Day in San Francisco.

Anna had emailed all of her teachers the same short explanation she had given her coach. She wasn't too worried about their responses though. She would only be gone for one day and she was an above average student. She also made sure to turn in any assignments that were due Friday. The girls were another story. Anna didn't want to lie to them and she didn't think they would accept her vague 'emergency' excuse. So instead, she told them nothing. She would come up with something when she returned to Arendelle. And maybe if they heard from Coach why she was gone they would respect her privacy.

Who was she kidding? She expected a text from Rapunzel the second she noticed Anna wasn't home at her usual time. But that wouldn't be until one in the afternoon. And by that time Anna would already be in San Francisco.

* * *

The flight from Denver to SFO was almost three hours but with the time difference in California, Anna got one of those hours back. She landed in San Francisco just before noon. She only brought a small backpack purse with her for the short trip and was one of the first ones off the plane. As she walked through the large terminal, she opened her Uber app on her phone and requested a ride. She followed the signs to the designated pick up area and watched for her driver. The car took her to the famous Pier 39 so Anna could kill some time. The game tonight wasn't starting until 7:05pm.

Anna wandered the shops around the Pier, watched the sea lions and ate lunch at Boudin Bakery Cafe. She had successfully passed the time and at 3:30pm she started to walk down the Embarcadero to Oracle Park. Google maps said the walk would take her a little less than an hour which was fine since the gates to the stadium would open at five o'clock. All around her were countless people in Giants jerseys and fan gear. The street was lined with vendors selling shirts, foam fingers and even scalped tickets. Anna adjusted her San Jose Giants hat, feeling slightly out of place. She didn't have any San Fransisco specific gear and the SJ hat was the best she could do.

But she was in luck. Even though the stadium wasn't open yet, the Dugout Store was. The line for the main entrance went right past the entrance and Anna decided waiting in there was a better option than the afternoon sun. The door greeter welcomed her in, complimented her hat and then asked if she had ever been in before.

"First time in the city actually."

"Well this is a beautiful night to be here darling. And at five the security station in the back of the store will open and you can head into the park that way." The older woman leaned in, "It's a lot faster than waiting outside."

Anna smiled at her kindness, "Thank you."

The store wasn't huge but the tall ceilings made it feel far bigger. And all along the walls were different accessories, hats and authentic jerseys. Before Anna could even look through the racks of shirts, a familiar name caught her eyes. She froze and just stared at it.

"Miss, can I help you find something?" A new employee was standing near her folding shirts.

"Um-" Anna paused, her throat felt dry, "Could you...could you get me down one of those?" Anna pointed up.

"Sure, which one would you like?"

"The orange Bjorgman one. In a small please."

* * *

The park was absolutely breathtaking. Hands down the most beautiful stadium she had ever been in. The promenade level was bustling with fans trying to find their seats, ordering food and beer and taking pictures of the field from behind home plate. But Anna knew where she wanted to go. She headed down the first base side until she was out in the open, on the walkway right next to McCovey Cove. Baseball field to her left, San Francisco Bay to her right, it really was a sight to behold and she was certain she made the right choice in coming here.

Anna took some time to snapping pictures (knowing she would never show them to anyone) and then started heading towards the food carts behind center field. She made it to the flag poles when she was tapped on the shoulder. Turning around, Anna was met with a girl in her mid-20s with a microphone and a cameraman. Confusion colored Anna's face instantly.

"Hi there! We noticed you're wearing Kristoff Bjorgman's jersey. Could we interview you about him?" The woman had nice, bright white teeth and a soprano voice. A refusal was on the tip of Anna's tongue. She was trying to keep a low profile, she didn't need to end up on ESPN and have her cover blown. But when she looked to the cameraman she noticed it wasn't for ESPN or any other tv network for that matter. Confident the clip would probably just get buried on the team's Twitter timeline Anna smiled, "Sure, why not."

The girl's smile grew even bigger. She quickly took charge, moving Anna into position and then stood next to her. Anna just smiled and stayed silent, waiting for something to happen. The cameraman gave the girls a countdown with his fingers. "Oh, tell me your name, hun." the girl whispered.

"Uh, Anna." Shit. Maybe she should have given a fake name. Ah fuck it, her face was on camera, what was a different name going to help?

"What's up Giants fan! It's a beautiful Opening Day here at Oracle Park and I'm here with Anna who is wearing first round draft pick Kristoff Bjorgman's jersey. Bjorgman is getting his first major league start tonight, are you excited to see that Anna?"

The girl stuck the microphone in front of Anna, she smiled at how outrageous this situation was, "Oh yeah, I'm a _huge_ Bjorgman fan."

"Really? Tell us what you like about him!"

"Well he's got great range in the field, hits for power and is a lot faster than he looks. He's a great addition to the organization. Plus he's a total babe." Anna laughed and winked at the interviewer. She was eating it up.

"We're all very excited to have him in orange and black and we wish him good luck tonight on his debut!" The girl finished with a long awkward wave, Anna joined in by turning around and pointing her thumb over her back at 'Bjorgman' across her shoulders.

"And we're out." The guy filming said as he lowered the camera. The interviewer thanked Anna and they were on their way.

Anna strolled around the rest of the park, ate some famous Gilroy Garlic fries, checked out the huge Coke Bottle slide and then made her way to the 200 section where her seat was. She was sitting on the third base side (because of course she was). She knew Cliff and Bulda had to be right below her, closer to the field in the family section. She wished she could have said hi to them but that would only open a can of worms Anna was not ready to deal with. Plus, maybe they hated her now for breaking their son's heart. That thought sent dread through Anna's limbs. _No. _She wasn't going to do this tonight. Tonight was her one night to really feel the joy of Kristoff's success.

Cheers erupted from the fans gathered down the third base line. Players were starting to make their way onto the field from the left field gate. There were plenty of guys Anna recognized from the games she had streamed back in Colorado but the second he walked onto the grass, it was like looking at a different person.

He looked good. _Really_ good. He had always filled out a uniform well but after all that work he put in...he definitely packed on some more muscle in the months she hadn't seen him. His hair was shorter too, she couldn't even see it poking out from under his hat. Her stomach hurt seeing him. She missed him. But she felt like she didn't even know him anymore. He could be in a new relationship now. That thought sent knives down her arms and into her wrists. _She_ had broken up with _him_, he could do whatever he wanted.

_You do you. Don't worry about me._

While she was at Arendelle she had multiple different things to distract her from that ache in her chest: school, softball, planning Rapunzel's bridal shower and bachelorette party. But today, this was her one chance to indulge. She would give into that ache, she would stare at him and imagine the life they could have had together. She was here to support Kristoff on the biggest day of his life. Tomorrow she would go back to compartmentalizing her feelings.

Kristoff was walking with another player, second baseman Wilmer Flores she guessed. The pair stopped at a group of young kids holding out hats and baseballs for them to sign. There are even teenage girls trying to take pictures with him. Anna laughed. She couldn't believe he was actually here. The Major Leagues, Opening Day. She took out her phone just to snap a few pictures of him. She wanted to remember how proud she was of him.

Anna lowered her phone and looked out towards the Bay. The sun was lowering in the sky and it was only enhancing the beauty of the atmosphere around her. Looking around at her seatmates, Anna's eyes landed on an elderly lady sitting right behind her.

"Hi there ma'am. Would you mind taking a picture of me with the field in the background?"

The woman, who had been reading a Giants pamphlet, looked up and took off her reading glasses, "You all alone dear?"

Anna gave a sad smile and shrugged her shoulders, "Yeah, I just really needed to be here tonight."

"I completely understand. I've been coming to Opening Days longer than you've been alive. And sometimes the best ones are when you just sit and enjoy the game."

Anna smiled, "I like the sound of that."

* * *

Kristoff hit a two run home run in his first Major League at bat. And Anna cried as she celebrated with the rest of the fans.


End file.
